Iran claims it struck 'terrorist' sites in Syria, Iraq with barrage of missiles

TEHRAN, Iran

Iran fired a barrage of ballistic missiles at positions of "terrorist groups" in Syria and Iraq late Monday, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said in a statement.

The IRGC said a "spy headquarters" and a "gathering of anti-Iran terrorist groups" in Syria were destroyed with ballistic missiles, as cited by state media.

The statement noted that the attack came in response to "recent terrorist crimes" of anti-Iran groups, referring to twin bombings in the southeastern city of Kerman earlier this month and an attack on a police station in Sistan-Baluchestan province in December.

It said the "commanders and main elements" linked to the recent attacks in Kerman and Rask were identified in Syria and targeted with ballistic missiles late Monday.

At least 93 people were killed after two suicide bombers detonated their explosives in a big gathering in Kerman.

The attack occurred on the fourth anniversary of the death of Iran's former top military commander Gen. Qassem Soleimani.

In a separate incident in mid-December, at least 11 police personnel were killed after a police station came under attack in the city of Rask in southwestern Sistan-Baluchestan province bordering Pakistan.

On Sunday, Iran's police chief Brigadier General Ahmad Reza Radan announced the arrest of perpetrators of the Rask attack. The main accused in the Kerman attack, two Tajik nationals, have also been arrested.

In another part of the statement, the IRGC said it also targeted the Israeli spy agency Mossad's headquarters in the northern Iraq with a barrage of missiles and "destroyed" it.

The site had been the "center for the development of espionage operations and the design of terrorist activities in the region and Iran," the statement noted.

Media reports said the attacks took place in the vicinity of the US consulate in Erbil.

Tensions have been running high between Iran and the US amid Israel’s war on Gaza and regional developments, including attacks on ships in the Red Sea by Iran-backed Houthis.