Iran Guards hit 'terrorist' targets in Iraq, Syria

TEHRAN

Iran launched a barrage of ballistic missiles at positions occupied by "terrorist groups" in Syria and Iraq on late Monday, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said in a statement.

State media reported that IRGC destroyed a "spy headquarters" and a "gathering of anti-Iran terrorist groups" in Syria with ballistic missiles.

The attack was described as a reaction to "recent terrorist crimes" committed by anti-Iranian organizations, the statement said, referring to the December attack on a police station in Sistan-Baluchestan province and the twin bombings that occurred in the southeastern city of Kerman earlier this month.

On Jan. 3, suicide bombers struck crowds gathered near the tomb of the revered IRGC general Qasem Soleimani in Kerman, killing around 90 people. The attack was later claimed by ISIL.

In December, at least 11 Iranian police officers were killed in an attack on a police station in Rask. The jihadist group Jaish al-Adl (Army of Justice), which was formed in 2012 and is blacklisted by Iran as a "terrorist" group, claimed responsibility.

The IRGC also said it had struck alleged Israeli "spy headquarters" in Iraq, Iran's IRNA news agency reported.

It said the headquarters had served as "the centre for developing espionage operations and planning terrorist actions in the region," naming Israel's Mossad spy organisation.

The Guards said the strike was in response to recent attacks on Iran and the "axis of resistance" of Iran-aligned groups, which have raised concerns about violence spreading from Israel's war in Gaza.

Regional tensions have spiked, drawing in Iran-backed armed groups in Lebanon, Iraq, Syria and Yemen.