ERBIL, Kurdistan Region — A series of precision drone strikes targeted a major motor oil storage facility on the outskirts of Erbil early on Wednesday morning of April 1, 2026, igniting a massive inferno that has sent thick plumes of black smoke billowing over the regional capital.
The attack, which began around 7:30 a.m. local time, targeted a warehouse complex on the Erbil-Mosul road used for storing large quantities of automotive lubricants and logistical materials. According to Erbil Governor Omid Khoshnaw, the site was subjected to a "repeated bombardment" that neutralized firefighting efforts and forced emergency crews to retreat. The strike was far from a singular event, unfolding instead as a calculated, multi-wave operation.
This was followed by a second and third wave at 8:40 AM and 10:20 AM; these subsequent strikes targeted the same location just as Civil Defense teams arrived, effectively hampering rescue operations and intensifying the blaze.
A final disaster was narrowly averted when regional air defenses successfully intercepted and detonated a fourth drone mid-air before it could reach the facility. While the facility has been described as a total loss, there were no immediate reports of fatalities or injuries following the strike.
According to Governor Khoshnaw, the scale of the inferno left nothing inside the depot untouched, resulting in millions of dollars in structural and inventory damage to the site, which reportedly housed Castrol brand products and various industrial lubricants.
Due to the extreme intensity of the heat and the persistent risk of further explosions, authorities instructed civil defense teams to withdraw and allow the remaining oil to burn out under controlled conditions.
This has sparked significant environmental concerns, with residents in Erbil reporting soot falling in nearby neighborhoods and health officials advising those with respiratory conditions to remain indoors as a dense smoke cloud drifts across the Alborz and Erbil corridors.
The strike in Erbil is part of a significantly broader escalation across the Middle East. On the same day, similar drone and missile attacks were reported at Kuwait International Airport, a commercial facility in Bahrain, and against tankers off the coast of Qatar.
These incidents are being viewed by military analysts as a widening of the "Epic Fury" campaign that began in late February 2026. While no group has officially claimed responsibility for the Erbil depot strike, local authorities have pointed toward regional militias aligned with Tehran, citing the signature of the drones used in the assault.
The Prime Minister of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), Masrour Barzani, condemned the targeting of civilian economic infrastructure, calling for increased international support to protect the region’s airspace from "continued aggression.