Iran missile strike near US consulate kills prominent Kurdish businessman, IRGC claims Mossad HQ hit

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said Tuesday it destroyed an Israeli spy headquarters in a series of airstrikes near the U.S. consulate in Erbil, Iraq, and the attack killed a wealthy Kurdish businessman and other civilians.

The IRGC, which is designated as a foreign terrorist organization by the U.S. State Department, said it accurately shot 24 ballistic missiles late Monday evening, with 13 hitting the locations of terrorists, including Islamic State affiliates, in Syria and 11 hitting the "Mossad spy headquarters in the Kurdistan region of Iraq," according to Sepah, the guard's media agency.

"We assure the mighty and proud nation of Islamic Iran once again that the offensive operations of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps will continue until the revenge of the last drops of blood of the martyrs of our beloved homeland," the IRGC also said. 

The strikes come after at least 84 people were killed in dual suicide bombings earlier this month near Iranian military commander Qassem Soleimani's tomb in Tehran. The Islamic State has since claimed responsibility for the attack. 

However, the attack in the Kurdistan region killed businessman Peshraw Dizayee, who owned the Falcon Group and Empire World, which are known for work in construction, security, agriculture, energy and trade. The strike also killed Dizayee's daughter, who was celebrating her first birthday, and his friend, Iraqi Christian businessman Karam Mikhail, according to Turkish state-run outlet Anadolu Ajansi. 

The death toll may be higher, as Kurdistan official Hemn Hawrami said four members of Dizayee's family lost their lives in the attack.

It was not immediately clear whether Mikhail, Dizayee or his family have any connections to Israel, let alone its Mossad intelligence group.

"I condemn in the strongest terms Iran’s deadly missile attacks on the Iraqi Kurdistan Region, which recklessly & indiscriminately targeted civilians, and the drone attacks on Erbil Air Base. These latest attacks are clear violations of Iraq’s sovereignty," U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Alina Romanowski said on X, formerly Twitter, after the attacks. "We offer condolences to the families of those killed & wounded."

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