Iranian forces have been firing rockets into Iraq's Kurdish region of Erbil and what are said to be ISIS targets in Syria. Thus Tehran intervenes directly in the Middle East crisis. An analysis.
The conflict surrounding the Gaza war is escalating. Iran has now directly intervened in the conflict for the first time, shelling targets in Iraq and Syria. At the same time, Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen have again attacked ships in the Red Sea and declared Western warships “legitimate targets”. Experts see an alarming momentum in the conflict that could affect the entire Middle East.
Iran's drones and missiles hit several buildings near the US embassy in Erbil, the capital of the Kurdish region in northern Iraq, on Tuesday night. At least four people died, including a businessman from northern Iraq and his family members. Tehran said the target of the attacks was a base of the Israeli secret service Mossad in Erbil. This was rejected by the Kurdish Regional Government. According to Iranian sources, the attacks in Syria were aimed at the so-called Islamic State (IS).
Iran's regime was seen as weak
Turkish Iran expert Arif Geskin sees the first Iranian missile attacks since the start of the Gaza war as a crossroad: Iran's enemies have so far relied on it, Geskin tells “Press” that it indirectly participated in the conflict through allied fighters. Now Tehran has proved the opposite.