Iran says it destroyed an Israeli “spy headquarters” in a missile attack located near the US consulate in the northern Iraqi city of Erbil.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said they carried out the ballistic missile strike “in response to the recent atrocities of the Zionist regime”.

Four civilians were killed and six injured after missiles hit an upscale area near the consulate in Erbil, the seat of Iraq’s semi-autonomous Kurdish region, according to the security council of the Kurdish regional government.

The United States strongly condemned “Iran’s reckless missile strikes” in Erbil, adding that the attack undermined “Iraq’s stability.” The attack also angered Iraq, which recalled its ambassador from Tehran.

Israel has not acknowledged the attack in Erbil, or commented yet on the allegation that the target was linked to Mossad, its intelligence agency.

It has been engaged in a shadow war with Iran for years, with tit-for-tat strikes hitting positions around the Middle East. 

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