In what is a massive escalation of hostilities in the Middle East, Iran reportedly bombed a U.S. consulate in Northern Iraq on Monday. Several videos have gone viral claiming to show the moment of impact, though confirmation of their authenticity is still being gathered. The consulate was just one of eight different locations targeted, according to sources inside Iraq. 

Several explosions were reported near the U.S. Consulate in Erbil, Iraq, an Iraqi security source told ABC News.

The Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps quickly took responsibility for the attacks, saying it was targeting the "headquarters of spies" and "anti-Iranian terrorist gatherings in parts of the region" with ballistic missiles.

Coalition forces also shot down three drones near Erbil airport in Iraq, the source said.

It is worth noting that some videos have already been debunked. For example, the following clip has gone viral claiming to be from the attack, but it is actually a 2022 video of a C-RAM intercept.

Still, other videos do appear to be genuine, including these showing missiles being launched from inside Iran.

What makes this so unique compared to past attacks is that the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps has taken direct credit for the attack. Normally, you'd see these kinds of assaults carried about by Iranian-backed proxy militias, and Iran itself would be careful to not be caught with its hand on the button. In this case, the IRGC isn't leaving anything to the imagination, saying they were targeting "headquarters of spies" while striking at "anti-Iranian terrorist gatherings."

How will the Biden administration respond to this? Technically, this is an act of war. That doesn't mean the United States has to rush into a full-scale conflict, but clearly, some kind of response is going to be warranted. This is a developing story.