Drone attacks hits Iraqi Kurdistan amid Iran war

Drone attacks thought to be launched by pro-Iran militias hit the Iraqi Kurdish city of Erbil overnight, targeting multiple sites including areas near the residence of Kurdish leader Masoud Barzani and a US-linked base.

Oficials described this as a sharp escalation of violence in Iraq linked to the US-Israeli war on Iran.

According to local media and field reports, one drone was intercepted near Barzani’s residence, while others struck headquarters of Iranian armed opposition groups in the city and a US support base near Erbil airport.

Sources said "a number of these drones were intercepted", but the attacks still caused explosions across the area and sparked panic among residents.

The escalation extended beyond Erbil.

In Baghdad, a house in the Karrada district was hit by a powerful explosion of unknown origin, with initial reports suggesting it may be linked to a commander in one of Iraq’s armed factions.

At the same time, the "Islamic Resistance in Iraq" coordination group claimed a major surge in operations. In a statement, it said "the fighters of the Islamic Resistance in Iraq carried out 41 operations on Saturday using dozens of drones and missiles, targeting occupation bases in Iraq and the region".

The developments mark a widening of attacks by Iran-aligned factions as Iraq becomes an increasingly active front in the broader confrontation between Washington and Tehran.

In a strongly worded response, Barzani called on the Iraqi government to take a decisive stance over repeated attacks on the Kurdistan Region, warning that official condemnations were no longer sufficient.

In a statement, he said the region "has always sought to avoid being a party to the problems, tensions and wars in the region, yet this has not prevented continued attacks targeting the region, the Peshmerga forces, and threatening the lives and stability of residents".

He added that "the region and Peshmerga bases have been subjected to dozens of rocket and drone attacks, resulting in civilian casualties", noting that more than 450 attacks have targeted the region and Peshmerga positions since the start of the current war.

Barzani also said that his own residence has also been targeted five times in recent weeks, claiming he "remained silent to avoid provoking public anxiety and anger".

Calling on Baghdad to act, he said the government must either declare it is unable to restrain armed groups or "intervene seriously to protect the state and take firm measures to ensure such attacks do not recur".

Senior Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) figure Hoshyar Zebari warned that the escalation risks spiralling out of control, writing that "Iraqi factions are acting in coordination with the Iranian Revolutionary Guard and have their own objectives, seeking to drag Iraq into a wider regional conflict beyond the state’s control".

The latest attacks follow a similar incident on Saturday in Dohuk province, where drones targeted the home of Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani, prompting warnings of serious security repercussions.

Tensions were further inflamed after Abu Mujahid al-Assaf, a security official in the Iraqi group Kataib Hezbollah, threatened the Kurdistan Region and its leadership, accusing the regional government of hosting hostile actors.

He claimed that the region bears responsibility for "all damage coming from different fronts due to its malicious policies, hosting Iranian armed opposition elements, Mossad agents, US occupation forces, and leaders from the Baath Party and ISIS".

Since the start of the regional war between Iran and the United States, Iraq has increasingly become a battleground for reciprocal attacks between US forces and Iran-aligned groups.

Strikes targeting Popular Mobilisation Forces positions have exceeded 100 since the war began, hitting sites across Baghdad, Nineveh, Salah al-Din, Kirkuk, Diyala and Anbar provinces and leaving more than 65 dead and over 130 wounded among affiliated units.