Iranian Revolutionary Guard claims responsibility for missile barrage in Irbil, says it responded to crimes from the 'Zionist regime'



The Iranian government has claimed responsibility for a recent missile barrage that targeted the expansive U.S. consulate complex in the Iraqi city of Irbil – also spelled Erbil.

There are no reported American fatalities, according to the Associated Press, but the attack marks a significant escalation between the U.S. and Iran.

The Iranian Revolutionary guard said that it launched the attack against an Israeli “strategic center of conspiracy” in Irbil.

The Iranian Revolutionary Guard said that Israel recently acted offensively by planning a recent strike that killed two members of the Revolutionary Guard which prompted an Iranian response.

“Following the recent crimes of the fake Zionist regime and the previous announcement that the crimes and evils of this infamous regime will not go unanswered; Last night, the ‘Strategic Center of Conspiracy and Evil of the Zionists’ was targeted by powerful and point-to-point missiles of the IRGC,” the Iranian Revolutionary Guard said in a statement following the attack.

An American defense official and an Iraqi security official confirmed that the strike was launched from Iran.

An Iraqi official in Baghdad initially said that several missiles had struck the U.S. consulate in Ibril and that the consulate was the target of the attack.

However, Lawk Ghafari, the head of the Kurdish foreign media office, said that none of the missiles struck the U.S. facility but that areas around the sprawling complex had been hit.

The U.S. defense official said it was unclear how many missiles were fired and what the precise area of impact was. A second U.S. official said that there was no damage at any building belonging to the U.S. government and that there is no clear indication that the target was the consulate complex.

The barrage came several days after the Iranian government said that it would retaliate for an earlier Israeli attack outside of Damascus, Syria, that resulted in the deaths of two members of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard.

The attack also coincided with increasing regional tensions.

Negotiations between U.S. and Iranian officials over the Iran nuclear deal have been paused in response to Russian complaints over Western sanctions stemming from the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine. Russian diplomats have been serving as meditators during the negotiations.

Iranian officials also suspended the ongoing secret Baghdad talks that were aimed at defusing longstanding tensions with its rivals in Saudi Arabia.

The Jerusalem Post reported that the Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi responded to the attack by tweeting: “The aggression which targeted the dear city of Erbil and spread fear amongst its inhabitants is an attack on the security of our people. I discussed these developments with the KRG PM. Our security forces will investigate and stand firm against any threats toward our people.”

The Egyptian government extends the stays of Ukrainian tourists for free in wake of the Russian invasion



The Egyptian Tourism and Antiquities Ministry allows tourists affected by the Russian invasion of Ukraine to extend their stay at Egyptian hotels free of charge until it is safe to return home.

On Thursday, Ahram Online, Egypt's largest online news organization, reported that Egypt's Minister of Tourism and Antiquities, Khaled Anani, made this decision following the closing of Ukraine's airspace.

The Hotel Association of Egypt also issued a directive to all of its member hotels to extend the stays of Ukrainian and Russian tourists until Russian and Ukrainian airspace reopens, enabling them to return home safely.

Hotels were instructed to provide these stranded tourists with their resort's full amenities free of charge.

The South Sinai Hotels Chamber issued a statement to the general managers of hotels in Sharm El-Sheikh that implored them to extend the stays of Ukrainian tourists who had returned from the airport after having their flights canceled.

The chamber also told hotel management that they should provide stranded Ukrainians with whatever assistance they need and not let "any tourist leave any hotel."

The chamber's statement encouraged hotel management to be careful moderating potential confrontations between Ukrainian and Russian tourists.

The Ukrainian embassy in Egypt shared the Hotel Association of Egypt's directive and the South Sinai Hotels Chamber's statement on its official Facebook page and encouraged stranded Ukrainian tourists to present these documents to hotel management if necessary.

Prior to the Ministry's announcement, the Ukrainian embassy said that it was cooperating with officials in tourism and tour operators to help provide stranded Ukrainians with resources due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the temporary closure of Ukrainian airspace.

The embassy also said that it was working to find routes of entry into Ukraine through Poland, Slovakia, Romania, and Hungary so that the stranded Ukrainians can return home.

The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said that due to the closure of Ukrainian airspace, Ukrainian citizens abroad should stay in place, closely follow events, and register in the ministry's digital communications system that connects Ukrainians with their embassies and consulates abroad.

The head of Egypt's National Company for Air Navigation, Ihab Mohi El-Din, said that on Thursday prior to Ukraine barring commercial flight from its airspace, Egyptian airports received hundreds of Ukrainian civilians from airports in Kiev and Lviv.

Egypt is one of the most popular tourist destinations for Ukrainians. In 2019, nearly 1.5 million Ukrainians visited and during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 over 700,000 Ukrainians vacationed in Egypt.

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