Missiles target US consulate in Erbil, Iraq – report

A number of missiles were fired towards the US consulate in Erbil in northwestern Iraq on Saturday night, according to the Iraqi News Agency (INA).

The governor of Erbil, Omed Khoshnaw, stated that multiple missiles fell in the area, saying it was unclear whether the target was the US consulate or the airport in the city. According to INA, five explosions were heard in the attack.

The health minister of Kurdistan stated that there were no injuries or deaths reported in the attack on Saturday night.

Videos shared on social media reportedly from the scene showed multiple large explosions in the area.

According to Kurdistan 24 reporter Barzan Sadiq, the Kurdistan 24 studio in the area was reportedly damaged in the attack as well.

Shiite cleric and Iraqi politician Muqtada al-Sadr responded with outrage to the missile attack, tweeting shortly after the attack “In the name of God, Irbil is under the fire of loss and betrayal, and under pain of starvation, as if the Kurds were not Iraqis. Rather, they are the lung of Iraq and its indivisible part.”

“Erbil will not kneel except for moderation, independence and sovereignty.  Peace and love for you, Erbil, and you Kurds, and patience until the achievement of: #National_Majority_Government,” tweeted al-Sadr.

It is as of yet unclear who fired the missiles. Iran has threatened retaliation in recent days for the deaths of two Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) officers in an alleged Israeli airstrike in Syria last week.

Iran-backed militias reportedly targeted the Al-Tanf base, where US forces are housed, in October in retaliation for an alleged Israeli airstrikes which targeted Iranian-backed forces in Syria last year.

This is a developing story.