Iran defends attack on Israeli 'spy headquarters' in Kurdistan

The Security Council of the government of the semi-autonomous Kurdistan region in northern Iraq called the attack a "crime" in a statement, saying at least four people were killed and six wounded in the attacks on Erbil.

Iran on Tuesday defended its missile strikes in Iraq's semi-autonomous Kurdistan region of Erbil and in Syria, saying it was a "targeted operation" and a "just punishment" for those who violated the country's security  .

Iran's foreign ministry spokesman Nasir Kanani said that Iran, with its high intelligence capabilities, identified the headquarters of the criminals through a targeted operation and targeted them with precise weapons.

Iran 's state media reported late Monday that Iran's Revolutionary Guards had attacked Israel's 'intelligence headquarters' in Erbil, Iraq 's semi-autonomous Kurdistan region. It was further said that an attack was also carried out against Daesh in Syria.

Iraq's foreign ministry said it had summoned Iran's ambassador to Baghdad and registered a protest over missile attacks on its territory by the Revolutionary Guards.

A letter from the Iraqi Foreign Ministry to Charge d'Affaires Abul Fazl Azizi said that Iraq condemns the attack in several areas of Erbil in which civilians were killed.

This attack is a clear violation of Iraqi sovereignty. This move is a threat to international law and the security of the region.

According to the Reuters news agency, the Revolutionary Guards in a statement named the Israeli spy agency Mossad and said that "ballistic missiles were used to destroy intelligence centers and gatherings of anti-Iranian terrorist groups in the region."

It added that in addition to these attacks in a residential area near the US consulate in the northeast of the Kurdistan capital Erbil, it also launched attacks against "perpetrators of terrorist acts" in Iran, including ISIS.

Two US officials told Reuters that US facilities were not affected by the missile strikes.

The Kurdistan government's Security Council called the attack a "crime" in a statement, saying at least four people were killed and six wounded in the attacks on Erbil.

Iraqi security and medical sources said the dead included millionaire Kurdish businessman Pazar Dezai and several members of his family, who were killed when a rocket hit their home.

The rulers of the Dezai region were considered close to the Barzani clan and were involved in the real estate business in Kurdistan.

The security sources added that one rocket fell on the house of a senior Kurdish intelligence official and another on the Kurdish intelligence center.

Reuters could not independently confirm any of the reports, while Israeli government officials were not immediately available for comment.

The attacks come at a time when Hamas ' attacks on Israel on October 7, 2023, and the subsequent Israeli offensive on Gaza are feared to spill over into the Middle East, which includes Iran's allies in Lebanon, Syria, Iraq and Yemen. They have also entered the field.

Iran has accused the US of supporting Israeli crimes in Gaza. On the other hand, according to the United States, it supports Israel, but it has also expressed concern over the number of Palestinian civilians who have lost their lives.

Iran has carried out attacks in Iraq's northern Kurdistan region in the past, and as such the area is used by Iranian separatist groups as well as agents of its old enemy Israel.

Iraq, on the other hand, has sought to allay Iranian concerns about separatist groups in the mountainous border region and has sought to relocate some members as part of a 2023 security deal with Tehran. .

Earlier this month, Daesh claimed responsibility for two explosions in the southeastern Iranian city of Kerman, when people gathered to mark the anniversary of slain Iranian Revolutionary Guard commander Qassem Soleimani. About 100 people were killed and many injured in these attacks.

"There will be war rooms at airports", at flight delays : India

In a post on X, Scindia said, "New SOPs or standard operating procedures have been issued to airlines to minimize inconvenience to passengers."

New Delhi : Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia on Tuesday announced a six-point action plan to deal with the problems caused by fog in domestic and international commercial flight operations. These days, hundreds of flights are delayed or canceled due to fog. In a post on X, Scindia said, "New SOPs or standard operating procedures have been issued to airlines to minimize inconvenience to passengers."

The Union Minister said that the government has daily reports of airports of all six metro cities, as well as reports of implementation of the instructions of the Directorate General of Civil Aviation.

Scindia said, "'War rooms' will be set up by airports and airline operators at all six metro airports to immediately address any issues regarding passenger inconvenience and also ensure availability of adequate CISF forces at all times."
He said that Runway 29L of Delhi airport has been made CAT III operational, so that it can handle take-offs and departures even during low visibility scenarios. Also said that Runway 10/28 – with CAT III status will also be made operational as soon as possible.

Delay in flight operations due to fog: There
is a lot of anger and tension among the passengers regarding the delay due to fog. Passengers had to stand in queues on the runway for hours to sit inside the plane. It flared up further on Sunday night when an IndiGo passenger attacked the captain of a Delhi-Goa flight, which was delayed by more than 10 hours.

Fog has seriously affected road and rail as well as air traffic during the morning in the last 15 days in the North and North-Eastern region of the country. Five flights were diverted at Delhi airport on Monday, while more than 100 flights were delayed.

Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia has said that all stakeholders are working round the clock to reduce fog-related disruptions. Airport operator DIAL has been instructed to expedite the operation of the CAT-3 capable fourth runway. When a runway is CAT-3 capable, flight operations can take place even in low visibility conditions.
Meanwhile, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has advised people to avoid unnecessary travel and be careful while driving, with visibility levels reaching zero meters at many places due to dense fog.

Dense to very dense fog conditions are likely to persist in North India.
IMD said that dense to very dense fog conditions are likely to persist in North India for the next three days. The department said that cold day to severe cold day conditions will prevail in the northern plains for the next two days. According to IMD, "Cold wave to severe cold wave conditions are expected to continue for three days in the north-western areas of the country."