Muristek
Erbil, Iraq, March 13
A dozen ballistic missiles launched from outside Iraq struck the country's northern Kurdish regional capital Erbil on Sunday, Kurdish officials said, adding there were no casualties.
The attack was launched from Iran, as told by a U.S. official. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, did not provide any further information.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility. A U.S. State Department spokesperson called it an "outrageous attack" but said no Americans were hurt and there was no damage to U.S. government facilities in Erbil.
Iraqi state TV quoted the Kurdistan region's counter-terrorism force saying 12 missiles launched from outside Iraq hit Erbil. Kurdish officials did not immediately say where the missiles struck. A spokesperson for the regional authorities said there were no flight interruptions at Erbil airport.
U.S. forces stationed at Erbil's international airport complex have come under fire in the past from rocket and drone attacks that they blame on Iran-aligned militia groups. Still, no such attacks have occurred for several months.
The last time ballistic missiles were directed at the U.S. forces was in January 2020 - an Iranian retaliation for the U.S. killing earlier that month of its military commander Qassem Soleimani at Baghdad airport.
No U.S. personnel were killed in the 2020 attack but many suffered head injuries.
Iraq and Syria are familiar scenes of violence between the United States and Iran. Iran-backed Shi'ite Islamist militias have attacked U.S. forces in both countries, and Washington has retaliated with airstrikes.
An Israeli air strike in Syria on Monday killed two members of Iran's Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), Iranian state media said this week. The IRGC vowed to retaliate, according to reports.
Residents of Erbil posted videos online showing several large explosions, and some said the blasts shook their homes.
Iraq has been rocked by chronic instability since the defeat of the Sunni Islamist group Islamic State in 2017 by a loose coalition of Iraqi, U.S.-led and Iran-backed forces.
Since then, Iran-aligned militias have regularly attacked U.S. military and diplomatic sites in Iraq, the U.S. and many Iraqi officials say. Iran denies involvement in those attacks.