Current:Home > FinanceIraq recalls ambassador, summons Iran’s chargé d’affaires over strikes in Irbil-InfoLens
Iraq recalls ambassador, summons Iran’s chargé d’affaires over strikes in Irbil
View Date:2024-12-23 19:47:26
IRBIL, Iraq (AP) — Iraq recalled its ambassador from Tehran for consultations and summoned Iran’s chargé d’affaires in Baghdad on Tuesday in protest over Iranian strikes on northern Iraq that killed several civilians overnight, the Iraqi Foreign Ministry said.
The Iranian attack was “a blatant violation of the sovereignty of the Republic of Iraq, strongly contradicts the principles of good neighborliness and international law, and threatens the security of the region,” it said in a statement.
Iran fired missiles late Monday at what it said were Israeli “spy headquarters” in an upscale neighborhood near the sprawling U.S. Consulate compound in Irbil, the seat of Iraq’s northern semi-autonomous Kurdish region, and at targets linked to the extremist Islamic State group in northern Syria.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guard said in a statement Tuesday that it launched four Kheibar missiles at IS positions in Idlib in Syria and 11 precision ballistic missiles at the Kurdish region in northern Iraq, where it said it hit a center of Mossad, the Israeli intelligence agency. Iraqi officials denied that the building was related to Mossad.
“There is no reason for these attacks and there is no excuse,” Masrour Barzani, prime minister of the Kurdish region, said in a news conference in Davos, where he was attending the World Economic Forum on Tuesday. “These attacks should not remain without a response.”
The strikes came at a time of heightened tensions in the region and fears of a wider spillover of the ongoing war in Gaza.
They also came after the Islamic State group claimed responsibility earlier this month for two suicide bombings targeting a commemoration for an Iranian general slain in a 2020 U.S. drone strike. The attack in Kerman killed at least 84 people and wounded 284 others at the ceremony honoring Revolutionary Guard Gen. Qassem Soleimani.
Last month, Iran accused Israel of killing a high-ranking Iranian general, Seyed Razi Mousavi, in an airstrike on a Damascus neighborhood.
It was unclear whether the strikes in Syria had, in fact, hit any targets associated with the Islamic State group.
Mounir al-Mustafa, deputy director of the civil defense in northwest Syria, also known as the White Helmets, said one of the strikes in Idlib targeted a medical clinic that was no longer operating in the village of Talteta in northwest Idlib province. Two civilians suffered minor injuries, he said.
Sami al-Qassim, who lives near the targeted site, said the clinic was empty and there were no militant activities in the area.
The strike in Irbil killed at least four people, among them Peshraw Dizayi, a prominent local businessman with a portfolio that included real estate and security services companies, along with members of his family.
The United States condemned what State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller described as “Iran’s reckless missile strikes.”
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Nasser Kanaani said in a statement that the strikes in Iraq and Syria were “in line with the resolute defense of the country’s sovereignty and security, countering terrorism, and part of the Islamic Republic’s punishment against those who threaten the country’s security.”
He said that Iran in “a precise and targeted operation, identified the headquarters of the criminals and targeted them with accurate and precision-guided projectiles.”
A few hundred demonstrators gathered in Irbil on Tuesday to protest the attacks.
___
Albam reported from Taltela, Syria. Associated Press journalists Qassim Abdul-Zahra and Abdulrahman Zeyad in Baghdad and Abby Sewell in Beirut contributed to this report.
veryGood! (55)
Related
- Ashton Jeanty stats: How many rushing yards did Boise State Heisman hopeful have vs Nevada
- Colombian police continue search for father of Liverpool striker Díaz
- Residents of Maine gather to pray and reflect, four days after a mass shooting left 18 dead
- Kentucky Derby winner Mage out of Breeders’ Cup Classic, trainer says horse has decreased appetite
- Chicago Bears will ruin Caleb Williams if they're not careful | Opinion
- Macron vows to enshrine women’s rights to abortion in French Constitution in 2024
- Anchorage’s oldest building, a Russian Orthodox church, gets new life in restoration project
- It's been one year since Elon Musk bought Twitter. Now called X, the service has lost advertisers and users.
- Denzel Washington Will Star in Black Panther 3 Before Retirement
- Winner of albinism pageant says Zimbabwe event made her feel beautiful and provided sense of purpose
Ranking
- Biden EPA to charge first-ever ‘methane fee’ for drilling waste by oil and gas companies
- Feel Free to Keep These 25 Spooky Secrets About Casper
- Fans debate Swift's nod to speculation of her sexuality in '1989 (Taylor's Version)' letter
- Severe drought in the Amazon reveals millennia-old carvings
- Brianna “Chickenfry” LaPaglia Explains Why She’s Not Removing Tattoo of Ex Zach Bryan’s Lyrics
- Live updates | Israeli military intensifies strikes on Gaza including underground targets
- Russians commemorate victims of Soviet repression as a present-day crackdown on dissent intensifies
- Diamondbacks' Ketel Marte breaks MLB postseason hitting streak record
Recommendation
-
2 striking teacher unions in Massachusetts face growing fines for refusing to return to classroom
-
Food delivery business Yelloh to lay off 750 employees nationwide, close 90 delivery centers
-
Parents of Liverpool's Luis Díaz kidnapped in Colombia
-
Poultry companies ask judge to dismiss ruling that they polluted an Oklahoma watershed
-
Oprah Winfrey Addresses Claim She Was Paid $1 Million by Kamala Harris' Campaign
-
AP Top 25 Takeaways: No. 6 OU upset; No. 8 Oregon flexes; No. 1 UGA, No. 4 FSU roll before CFP debut
-
'Snow White' first look: Disney reveals Rachel Zegler as live-action princess, delays film
-
12 people die in a plane crash in the Brazilian Amazon