Baghdad / Tehran / Middle East — Iranian forces have expanded military operations into northern Iraq’s Kurdish region, targeting Kurdish armed groups based there, even as Tehran launched a new wave of missile and drone strikes across the region against Israel and U.S. military assets, officials and independent monitors report.

According to Al Jazeera and Reuters, Iranian forces carried out strikes against bases of Kurdish opposition groups in the semi autonomous Kurdistan Region of Iraq, including areas near Sulaymaniyah and Erbil earlier this week. Iranian state television said the operations were aimed at “anti Iran separatist forces,” a reference to armed Kurdish factions challenging Tehran’s authority.

Local Iraqi Kurdish sources indicated that explosions were heard near Kurdish group headquarters in several districts, as Iranian missiles and drones struck targets believed to house fighters opposed to the Iranian regime. The moves followed days of increasing hostilities and heightened tensions along the Iraq Iran border.

At the same time, Iran has launched what is being described as its 19th wave of missile and drone attacks against Israeli and U.S. interests in the broader conflict triggered by joint military actions earlier this month. These barrages have targeted military infrastructure in Israel and U.S. bases and installations across the Gulf and neighboring regions, including air and naval assets.

The escalation into Iraqi territory reflects Iran’s efforts to pre empt cross border threats and weaken Kurdish armed factions that Tehran accuses of aligning with U.S. strategies — including reported discussions between U.S. officials and Iranian Kurdish leaders about possible support or coordination, though Kurdish leadership has been cautious.

Kurdish authorities in Iraq’s autonomous region have condemned the strikes, warning that further attacks could destabilize the already fragile security situation and strain Iraq’s territorial sovereignty. Residents in Kurdish cities reported air defenses engaging incoming threats, with some infrastructure damage near military and base sites.

The expansion of hostilities into Iraq underscores the broadening scope of the Middle East war, with multiple fronts emerging as Iranian forces confront both internal opposition movements and external adversaries. Global leaders continue to call for restraint, even as regional governments brace for more extensive military engagements.