On January 16-17, 2024, Facebook accounts and the Facebook page of the Russian news agency Ura.Ru reported that on January 16, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps bombed US facilities in Iraq, including Harir Air Base, Erbil International Airport, and completely destroyed the U.S Embassy. The posts are also accompanied by shots of rocket explosions.
The disseminated information is partly false. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps did attack the part of Iraqi territory near the American military base and consulate, although they did not directly target American facilities. In addition, there was no attack on the US Embassy, and; therefore, the building was not damaged.
On the evening of January 15, 2024, the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps, which is part of the Iranian Armed Forces, launched a missile attack on Iraq, in particular on Erbil, the capital of the semi-autonomous Kurdish region. Missiles hit facilities located near the US consulate, a US military base, and the city’s airport, causing the airport to close temporarily, but soon resumed operations and passenger services. According to the statement of the Revolutionary Guards of Iran, they targeted and destroyed such objects that served the espionage activities of Israel, namely Mossad. As a result of the attack, Iraqi businessman Peshraw Dizayi died along with several members of his family. Despite the proximity of the explosion, the US consulate, military base, and Erbil International Airport were not targeted, so these buildings were not damaged, and no American citizens were injured. As for the US embassy, it is located in Baghdad, the capital of Iraq, where the attack was not carried out, and therefore, the building was not damaged. Not a single reliable news agency has published contrary information. It should be noted that in parallel to Erbil, Iran bombed the territories of the terrorist organization ISIS in Syria.
In response to the bombing of Erbil, the Iraqi government announced that they intend to take Iran to the UN Security Council for the crimes committed and the violation of the country’s sovereignty. In addition, they temporarily recalled the ambassador from Tehran and summoned Iran’s plenipotentiary ambassador to Iraq to get specific answers. According to Iran, the missile attacks were carried out to protect the country’s sovereignty and were a response to the terrorist acts committed by ISIS in Iran in January 2024, which killed more than 80 people.
About the Source
The Facebook account “Nana Akhalkatsi” mainly publishes anti-vax content and conspiracies. The disinformation spread by the user has been debunked by “Myth Detector” in the past.
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