In a recent statement, Dohuk Governor Ali Tatar affirmed that there are no political or economic relations between the Kurdistan Region and Israel. He added that those who engage with Israel are known, but Iran does not target them. Instead, Iran aims to damage Kurdistan's economy.

Tatar made these remarks during a seminar on Iranian targeting at Dohuk University, stating, "Iran, through targeting traders and investors in the Kurdistan Region, seeks to harm the economic interests of the Kurdistan Region. The attacks on Sheikh Baz and martyr Beshrow's residences are clear evidence of this."

He pointed out that the missile attacks by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard target civilians without justification. Tatar emphasized that investigation committees visiting the targeted sites confirmed that they were residential locations occupied by civilians, not intelligence centers for any foreign state.

On January 15, 2024, Erbil was subjected to a late-night ballistic missile attack claimed by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, resulting in the death of five civilians and the injury of six others.

Following the Iranian attack, the Prime Minister of the Kurdistan Region, Masrour Barzani, called on the federal government to take a firm stance against the violation that affected Iraq's sovereignty and the Kurdistan Region. He urged the international community not to remain silent about the injustice faced by the people of Kurdistan.

President Masoud Barzani stated in a release that these Iranian attacks reflect the extent of injustice committed against the people of the Kurdistan Region.

Abbas al-Zamili, head of the Iraqi parliamentary committee investigating the Iranian shelling of Erbil, clarified that the targeted house was a residential place, not a Mossad base. He condemned the unjustifiable Iranian missile attacks on the Kurdistan Region, stressing that if there were indeed a spying base for any country in the Kurdistan Region, Iran could have resolved the issue through dialogue between the Kurdistan Region and Iraq, rather than launching missile strikes on civilians.