Governor of Erbil Omed Khoshnaw speaking to the press following the missile attack in Erbil on March 13, 2022. Photo: Rudaw
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Erbil’s governor on Sunday denied the presence of Israeli bases, calling all claims that the attack conducted earlier in the day on the Kurdish capital targeted Israeli positions “baseless”.
“The topic of Israel has been talked about for a long time, that is baseless, there is no Israeli base in that area,” Governor of Erbil Omed Khoshnaw stated in response to questions asked by Rudaw’s reporter.
The Kurdistan Region’s counter terrorism department confirmed that twelve missiles were targeted at the US consulate building in Erbil from outside the Region and Iraq, hitting different neighborhoods of the city. The department added that the missiles were launched from the east, and that no casualties have been caused by the attack.
Khoshnaw also added that two civilians suffered minor injuries in the attack and that “the missiles did not hit their targets.”
Iranian state media reported the incident as an attack targeting “Mossad [Israeli intelligence] bases” in Erbil. Various social media accounts linked to Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) also reported that the attack had targeted Israeli positions in Erbil.
The IRGC on Tuesday vowed to seek revenge against Israel, saying it will “pay the price” for killing two of its guards in an airstrike over the Syrian capital a week earlier.
This is not the first time the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) has denied Israeli presence in the Kurdistan Region.
In April 2021, KRG spokesperson Jotiar Adil denied the presence of Mossad in Erbil following reports of an Iran-backed attack on an Israeli intelligence base.
In December 2020, the government dismissed “inaccurate” claims from an Israeli spokesperson that Iran may attack Israelis in the Kurdistan Region following renewed tensions after the assassination of Iranian nuclear scientist Mohsen Fakhirzadeh.
A conference in September 2021 discussing the normalization of ties with Israel was held in Erbil without government approval, sparking condemnation from several Iranian-backed Iraqi militia groups. The KRG at the time said they were not aware of the conference being organized.
Israeli-Kurdish ties
Relations between the Kurds and Israel can be traced back to the 1950s, around the same time as the formation of the Israeli state. Many Kurdish Jews left Iraq to move to Israel at the time, sparking support within Israel for the Kurdish cause. Both sides enjoy friendly ties but do not have diplomatic missions in each other's countries.
Israel bought Kurdish oil in 2014 despite condemnation from Baghdad and threats to take legal action. The crude oil exports were sold in order to raise revenue within the Kurdistan Region for defense purposes when the fight against the Islamic State (ISIS) was at its peak.
However, this did not signal beginning of long-term trade between Israel and the Kurdistan Region.
During the fight against ISIS, numerous Israeli non-profit organizations sent financial and humanitarian aid to minorities including Christians and Yazidis in the Region.
In 2017, Israel was the first country to endorse an independence referendum carried out in the Kurdistan Region. During the campaign rallies at the time, Kurdish people waved the Israeli flag in Erbil to express their appreciation for Israeli support.
Former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressed a “positive attitude” towards the possibility of an independent Kurdistan state, reportedly telling US Republican congress members at the time that the Kurds are a “brave, pro-Western people who share our values.”
Netanyahu voiced his condemnation of Turkish incursions in Kurdish areas in both Syria and Iraq numerous time in the past.
Updated at 3:36 pm
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