Netherlands to reopen Erbil consulate on Tuesday
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The Netherlands on Tuesday will reopen their consulate in Erbil and embassy in Tehran after having closed them for two days amid concerns that Iran would carry out a retaliatory attack against Israel, which took place hours after the Dutch government took the decision.
The Dutch government on Saturday decided to close its consulate in Erbil and embassy in Tehran the following day, later extending the closure for an additional day. “The Ministry of Foreign Affairs made this decision in response to the rising tensions between Iran and Israel,” it announced.
Hours later, Iran launched hundreds of drones and missiles against Israel, targeting military bases. Tel Aviv said 99 percent of the drones and missiles were intercepted. Some were intercepted by US forces in Erbil province, with one falling in Rawanduz district after having been intercepted.
“The Dutch embassy in Tehran and the consulate-general in Erbil will reopen to the public on Tuesday 16 April,” the Dutch government said in a statement on Monday.
“We will continue to closely monitor the security situation at the missions, and it is possible that they may be closed again in the future. For obvious reasons the ministry cannot comment on security measures,” it added.
Hours before Iran launched the retaliatory attack, numerous Western countries advised their citizens not to visit Iran and Iraq and the Kurdistan Region temporarily suspended all flights.
"This launch of so many missiles, cruise missiles, and UAVs into the territory of the State of Israel will be met with a response," said Israel's army chief General Herzi Halevi on Monday.
Iran’s attack constituted the culmination of repeated threats from Tehran to retaliate for an attack on its embassy in Damascus on April 1, which killed at least seven, including two generals of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), one of which was Brigadier General Mohammad Reza Zahedi, the Quds Force’s (IRGC-QF) head in Syria and Lebanon.