KRG rejects Iranian claims of Israeli bases in Erbil
Shafaq News/ The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) on Monday rejected Iranian claims that there are Israeli bases in the city of Erbil, which was targeted by ballistic missiles on January 13.
"The Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson, in a statement to the press about the bombing of Erbil, claimed that there were Israeli bases in the city as a justification for the attack and that it was not a violation of the sovereignty of Iraq and the Kurdistan Region," said KRG spokesperson Peshwa Hawrami, in a statement on Monday.
"This is surprising, as despite the visit of a delegation from the federal government, parliament, civil society organizations, and the media to the home of the victim, Peshro Dizayee, where everyone witnessed that the missile attack was a crime against civilians, Iranian officials still insist on their baseless allegations and boast of the crime they committed against the citizens of the Kurdistan Region."
The spokesperson continued, "The hadith (saying) of the Prophet (peace be upon him) 'He was taken by pride in sin' applies perfectly to Iranian officials, as they affirm their incorrect words without regard for the Iraqi, Iranian, regional, and international public opinion."
"What the Iranian Revolutionary Guard did was a crime against the civilian citizens of the Kurdistan Region and a flagrant violation of the sovereignty of Iraq and the Kurdistan Region, the principles of good neighborliness, customs, and international agreements."
He stressed that "this crime cannot be covered up with misleading news and fabricated images, and the Iraqi and regional public opinion cannot be deceived."
"The basic question for the media at the moment is that Iran's accurate missiles reach many places and countries that Iran considers to be its enemies, so why do they only target innocent civilians in the Kurdistan Region, and they do not dare to target countries that possess advanced weapons and missiles, and they only dare to target the innocent and those who do not possess weapons?"
Last week, Iran said it had launched ballistic missiles at targets in Iraq and Syria in defence of its sovereignty and security as well as to counter terrorism.
Iran's Revolutionary Guards said they attacked the "spy headquarters" of Israel in Iraq's semi-autonomous Kurdistan region late on Monday, in addition to also striking in Syria against the Islamic State.
On Tuesday, Iraq summoned the Iranian chargé d'affaires in Baghdad to protest against the attacks in Kurdistan.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Nasser Kanaani said Tehran respected the sovereignty and territorial integrity of other countries but at the same time was using its "legitimate and legal right to deter national security threats".
"After the enemy miscalculated by targeting the Islamic Republic, Iran retaliated with its high intelligence capability in a precise and targeted operation against the culprits' headquarters," Kanaani added.
Iraq condemned Iran's "aggression" on Erbil that led to civilian casualties in residential areas, according to a statement by the country's foreign ministry.
The Iraqi government would take all legal measures, including filing a complaint at the United Nations Security Council, said the statement.
