ISTANBUL

A projectile hit the Kirkuk Air Base in northern Iraq, causing a fire, the Iraqi Defense Ministry said Wednesday, calling the strike a “sinful attack.”

In a statement, the ministry said technical teams “rushed to contain and fully control the fire,” preventing its spread and “avoiding any human losses.”

The Kirkuk Air Base is a “purely Iraqi base” that includes Iraqi aircraft squadrons and is staffed “entirely by national personnel,” with “no foreign presence,” the ministry stressed.

It warned that targeting the base represents a “direct attack on the capabilities of Iraqi Army Aviation” and threatens to cause “significant losses to the air system.”

Such “hostile acts” aim to “undermine achievements and weaken Iraq’s defense capabilities,” the ministry said, adding that such attacks are “unacceptable” and require a “firm stance to protect the country’s security and sovereignty.”

Regional escalations continued to rage since Israel and the US have launched a joint offensive on Iran on Feb. 28, killing so far around 1,300 people, including then-Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.

Iran has retaliated with drone and missile strikes targeting Israel, Jordan, Iraq, and Gulf countries hosting US military assets, causing casualties and damage to infrastructure while disrupting global markets and aviation.