ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Two drones launched from Iran struck a base belonging to the Iranian Kurdish opposition group Komala in Balisan, Erbil province, on Saturday night, an official from the group and a security source told Rudaw English.
Ali Ranjbari, head of Komala’s relations, confirmed the attack, saying there were no casualties but buildings were damaged. He said one drone struck the base, while the other hit a guard post.
Separately, a security source in the Kurdistan Region confirmed the attack to Rudaw English, while Iran’s semi-official Mehr News Agency also reported the drone strikes.
The attack marks another strike by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) against Iranian Kurdish opposition groups based in the Kurdistan Region, which Tehran views as a threat to its national security.
Since the outbreak of the US-Israeli war against Iran on February 28, more than 1,000 drones and missiles have been launched at the Kurdistan Region by IRGC and Iran-backed Iraqi militias, according to Rudaw’s monitoring. Several Peshmerga fighters have been killed in the attacks.
The latest strike comes amid rising tensions between Tehran and Washington in the Strait of Hormuz, where Iranian forces have stepped up pressure on commercial shipping, targeting more than a dozen vessels over the past two weeks.
The strategic waterway has witnessed a sharp escalation in attacks, with several commercial vessels damaged and at least two ships sinking this week as Iran seeks to tighten its grip on maritime traffic in the face of continued US pressure.
The drone attack also coincides with Iranian forces intensifying operations against Kurdish opposition groups along Iran’s western frontier, while Tehran faces mounting security and economic pressures on multiple fronts.
In western Iran, clashes between the IRGC and fighters from the Kurdistan Free Life Party (PJAK) have escalated in the Shaho mountain range in the Hawraman region over the past few days, with Iranian forces deploying heavy weaponry and drones to bombard areas where Kurdish militants maintain positions.
The Kurdistan Human Rights Network (KHRN) reported that Iranian forces had continued shelling and drone attacks in the Shaho mountains, including areas around Daleh Marz village in Sarvabad county. Witnesses told the rights group that several explosions caused by suicide drones were heard in the Daleh Marz and Bareza Lang areas, while Iranian reconnaissance drones flew over the mountains.
PJAK’s armed wing, the Eastern Kurdistan Units (YRK), warned on Saturday that it would retaliate if attacks on its positions continued.
“We will exercise our legitimate right to self-defense and deliver the necessary response,” the group said.
The escalation in Iran’s Kurdish regions coincides with increasingly deadly clashes between Iranian security forces and armed Baloch groups in the southeastern province of Sistan and Baluchestan, placing additional strain on Tehran’s security apparatus.
Last updated at 11:40 pm.
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