Missiles from Iran hit U.S. Consulate in Iraq, Israeli base targeted

Between eight and 12 Iranian missiles were fired Sunday toward the U.S. consulate in Iraq’s northern city of Irbil.

Iraqi and U.S. security officials said several missiles hit the building, but Iran said its target was a secret Israeli base in the city.

Early reports suggested there were no U.S. military casualties, a senior U.S. defence official said.

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because information was still coming in, said it was still not certain exactly how many missiles were fired and exactly where they landed.

It also wasn’t clear if there were other casualties.

The attack comes several days after an Israeli strike near Damascus, Syria killed two members of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard.

Iran’s foreign ministry strongly condemned the attack Wednesday and vowed revenge.

On Sunday, Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency quoted Iraqi media acknowledging the attacks in Irbil, without saying where they originated.

According to Iranian state TV, the missile attacks on Irbil were targeting secret Israeli bases in the city.
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Previously, media outlets suggested that 8 to 12 missiles were fired from Iranian territory.

According to the Iraqi Health Ministry, the incident did not result in any casualties.

The city, which houses American forces, has been attacked several times over the past year.

A drone strike last July triggered sirens in the US Consulate in Irbil, but there were no casualties or property damage recorded at the time.

The attack comes as negotiations in Vienna over Tehran’s tattered nuclear deal hit a “pause” over Russian demands about sanctions targeting Moscow over its war on Ukraine.