Shafaq News/ The United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) condemned the "heinous" missile attack that struck the capital city of the Kurdistan region, Erbil, earlier today, Sunday.
In a statement it issued this morning, UNAMI said, "UNAMI strongly condemns heinous missile attacks on Erbil."
"Iraqis are called upon to stand together in the face of any act that violates Iraq’s sovereignty/territorial integrity,and/or aims to undermine stability/unity," it continued, "perpetrators of this cowardly attack must be held to account."
A dozen of missiles emanated from Iranian territory have fell near a building under-construction of the US consulate in Erbil at midnight.
Kurdistan's Counter-Terrorism Service said that 12 ballistic missiles were fired from "outside the borders of Iraq and the Kurdistan region, specifically from the east."
Aside from minor injuries to a citizen living nearby, the attack resulted in no human casualties, the region's Ministry of Interior said in a statement.
According to Kurdistan 24 reporter Barzan Sadiq, the Kurdistan 24 studio in the area was reportedly damaged in the attack.
Independent open-source intelligence (OSINT) accounts shared videos reportedly shared by Iranian civilians showing missiles being fired from Iran at the time of the attack, with at least one of the videos being geolocated to a site in Khasabad in the East Azerbaijan province of Iran.
The health minister of Kurdistan stated that there were no injuries or deaths reported in the attack on Saturday night. A US official told Reuters on Saturday night that there were no US military casualties in the attack.
The leader of the Sadrist movement, Muqtada al-Sadr, responded with outrage to the missile attack, tweeting shortly after the attack "In the name of God, Erbil 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.
Iraqi caretaker Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi responded to the attack as well, tweeting, "the aggression which targeted the dear city of Erbil and spread fear amongst its inhabitants is an attack on the security of our people. I discussed these developments with the KRG PM. Our security forces will investigate and stand firm against any threats towards our people."
Prime minister of the Kurdistan Region, Masrour Barzani, tweeted, "Erbil does not bow to cowards. I strongly condemn the terrorist attack on parts of Erbil and call on the brave and patient people of Erbil to be patient and to follow the instructions of the security agencies. I thank you for your patience."
The US State Department stated that there were no damages or casualties caused at any US government facility and that the incident was being investigated by the Iraqi government and Kurdish Regional Government, according to CBS News correspondent Margaret Brennan. The State Department condemned the attack.
According to the Wall Street Journal, US officials said that the attack may have been in retaliation for an Israeli airstrike in Syria on Monday that killed two members of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman reportedly said after the Israeli strike that Iran would take steps to hold Israel accountable.