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People demonstrate against Iran's execution of about twenty Kurds.
(photo credit: REUTERS)
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The Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) in Iran has claimed the attack of a missile against Kurdish opposition groups in Koya, in northern Iraq. Saturday's attack killed a dozen wounded and injured many others. It was the first time that Iranian forces were using this type of precision missile attack in the deepest part of Iraq. The missile attack is a message from Tehran in the region, indicating that it can do what it wants, not only in neighboring Iraq, but throughout the Middle East. Last year, Iranian missiles and Iran-backed groups using Tehran's technical advisers targeted Saudi Arabia from Yemen and Israel from Syria. As Washington seeks to pressure Iran, the missile threat makes it clear that Tehran is tough on sanctions.
The IRGC attempted a decapitation strike against the Kurdish KDP, an opposition group based in Koya. Many senior leaders were present and a missile crashed into the building where they met. It was a precise and unprecedented strike. Although Iran has already targeted Kurdish groups in Iraq and fired missiles on other opposition groups, the missiles used in this attack were accurate and presented Iranian intelligence operations and know how.
The missile attack on Koya should not be seen as an isolated attack by the Iranian regime against an opposition group. Iran has been fighting against the Kurdish opposition for years, and in Iran, clashes have multiplied. But the missile strike was an escalation and should be seen in the context of Iran-backed Houthis using ballistic missiles to target Riyadh, flying some 900 km from their launch point. Iranian forces in Syria have also targeted and tested Israeli defenses. They flew a drone into Israeli airspace in February and fired a salvo of missiles in May. Recent satellite images show missile production facilities in northern Syria. The reports also indicate that Iran has transferred missiles to Shiite militias, Hashd al-Shaabi, in Iraq. And Iran has armed Hezbollah with missiles for years and has also provided technical support to Hamas.
The big picture is then an Iranian missile threat throughout the region. The National Defense Authorization Act, signed by US President Donald Trump in August, included passages on the threat of ballistic missiles in Iran. Congress thoroughly examined how Iran's missile program threatens the region. In a June speech to the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies, US Treasury Under-Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence, Sigal Mandelker, said that "Iran must stop its proliferation ballistic missiles ".
US allies in the region have missile defense technology to deal with the Iranian threat. Israel has a multi-level missile defense system, including Iron Dome, David's Sling and the Arrow program, while Saudi Arabia has used Patriot missile batteries to stop Houthi missiles. This has proven effective. This is also why the IRGC has decided to test its missiles by targeting defenseless Kurdish groups in northern Iraq.
The IRGC's strike against the Kurds is a message to Washington and Israel. It shows how the IRGC operates across borders and across the region, considering that Iran's policy in Yemen, Iraq, Syria and Lebanon is linked to a broader agenda. The IRGC is also the group responsible for working with various Shiite agents and militias in the region. The US Administration's response to the missile attack in Iraq will reveal whether Washington is taking this new front in northern Iraq and whether the talks on stopping Iran's activities see Iraq as a frontier to deal with these threats, that Iran can operate freely
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