International coalition air defenses intercepted and destroyed ten bomb‑laden drones over Erbil in Iraq’s Kurdish region early Wednesday, according to local authorities.
The regional counterterrorism unit reported that coalition forces spotted the drones in Erbil’s airspace from 1:13 a.m. to 3:31 a.m. local time (22:13 GMT Tuesday to 00:31 GMT Wednesday) and subsequently intercepted and destroyed them.
The unit said no casualties resulted from the attacks.
Earlier, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps announced it had targeted U.S. forces and facilities in Erbil as part of coordinated missile and drone strikes against American bases across the region.
This followed an announcement late Tuesday by U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) that it had conducted strikes against IRGC targets in Iran.
Regional tensions have risen since U.S.-Israeli attacks on Iran began on February 28, prompting Tehran’s retaliatory missile and drone strikes against Israel and U.S. interests throughout the region, including Iraq.
Washington and Tehran signed a memorandum of understanding on June 18 regarding freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz, though its implementation has stalled due to disagreements over security arrangements in the waterway.
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