On the night of January 16, the IRGC aerospace forces launched a massive strike on Erbil in Iraqi Kurdistan, as well as on targets of pro-Turkish terrorist groups in Syria.

🔻 First, they fired at least six Fateh-110 operational-tactical missiles from the vicinity of the IRGC missile base " Tangey Kenesht " near Kermanshah towards Erbil.

▪️ To overwhelm the air defense systems, the Iranians used tactics that had already proven successful during the SMO: before the missile attack on Erbil, they launched several Shahed-136 drones, to which the C-RAM systems from the Harir military base responded.

▪️ Immediately after, several missiles hit neighborhoods in Erbil near the American consulate, Erbil International Airport, the Harir military base, and the home of Kurdish businessman Pishrav Diziziye.

According to data from open sources, Diziziye was the owner of the Falcon Group and Empire companies, which were affiliated with the Israeli Mossad. The strike definitely hit the house where the businessman lived.

🔻 At the same time, the latest Khyber Shikan medium-range ballistic missiles were launched from the province of Khuzestan towards Syria. Iraqi residents filmed their flight over the Basra province in Iraq.

▪️ The range of the IRBM is 1,450 km, and the target was the positions of the terrorist groups Hayat Tahrir al-Sham and the Islamic Party of Turkistan in Taltit near Idlib. Explosions from the impact were mistaken for Israeli Air Force strikes in the province of Aleppo.

▪️ The press service of the IRGC stated that these targets were chosen because a group of IS militants responsible for the terrorist attack in Kerman were being trained in territories controlled by pro-Turkish forces.

▪️ However, this version seems unlikely, and the raid itself was apparently carried out to demonstrate Iran's capabilities. After all, the Iranians had not previously conducted attacks at such a range (1230 km), which was noted in the Israeli media.

🔻 The Counter-Terrorism Group (CTG) of Iraqi Kurdistan thwarted an attack targeting the US air base in Erbil as it downed three drones packed with explosives at 5:05 a.m. local time (2:00 a.m. GMT) on Tuesday.

"Three explosive-laden drones targeting the air base of an international coalition at Erbil International Airport were downed and destroyed," Shafaq news quoted CTG as saying in a statement. The Harir Air Base, which hosts U.S. and international forces, is situated in the vicinity of Erbil International Airport.

🔻 Reaction to strikes

▪️ From the US side, Watson slammed the IRGC’s attack on targets in Iraqi Kurdistan as "a reckless and imprecise set of strikes."

▪️ The U.S. tracked the missiles that struck in northern Iraq and northern Syria, she said.

▪️ Barzani condemned Iran’s missile strikes as "a cowardly attack," calling on Baghdad "to take a principled stand against the outrageous violation of sovereignty of Iraq and Iraqi Kurdistan."

▪️ Iraqi Kurdistan’s Security Council described the Iranian attack as "a violation of the security agreement between Baghdad and Tehran."

🔻 The strike on Erbil bears similarities to the massive coalition attack on Yemen. The Houthis stated that there were no significant losses after the attack, and the Pentagon acknowledged that the Americans were not injured.

📌 Considering that it is not in the Americans' best interest to cause significant harm to Ansarallah, which is why they warned the Iranians and Houthis in advance, a similar scenario is possible in the case of Iranian launches.

We have observed that increased tension in the region benefits all parties involved. The Americans showcased their power, and the Iranians showcased theirs. The status quo has been maintained, with everything remaining at the same level.

Meanwhile, in Iran, they actually sought revenge on the Israelis for the assassination of General Reza Mousavi by eliminating a businessman associated with them. We have noticed the use of such tactics following the death of Qasem Soleimani - symbolism in the form of a red flag of retaliation and a mass strike to appease the domestic public and their thirst for vengeance.

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