ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq – Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) on Saturday blamed the US and Israel for an attack on Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani's residence in Duhok, calling it “an act of terrorism.”

Drones targeted Barzani’s residence in Duhok on Saturday afternoon without resulting in any casualties, per a statement from the Kurdistan Region Presidency. No party has claimed the attack as of the writing of this article.

In a statement hours after the attack, the IRGC condemned the “terrorist aggression,” blaming “the aggressive enemies, whose precedent we have witnessed recently in the cowardly assassination of senior Iranian officials and the oppressed people of Iran by the terrorist armies of the Americans and the Zionists.”

The statement said that the act aims to “harm peace, stability, and regional cooperation between the Kurdistan Region and neighboring countries,” and declared its “readiness” to defend the security of neighbors by bolstering cooperation, and “creating a collective shield in the region by countries and regional actors against the mischief of the American army and the Zionist regime.”

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi also condemned the “terrorist” attack on Barzani’s residence in a message to the Kurdish leader, implying that the act was a “false flag operation” by the US and Israel.

Araghchi “emphasized the responsibility of all governments and international institutions to hold the Zionist regime and the United States accountable and punish them for their brutal aggression against Iran and illegal and terrorist attacks on Iraq,” in the message.

The attack on the Kurdish leader’s domicile garnered widespread condemnation in Iraq and beyond. French President Emmanuel Macron called Barzani shortly after the incident, and extended his support following the “unacceptable attack.”

“This deeply concerning development comes on top of a resurgence of attacks against Iraqi institutions,” Macron wrote in an X post, adding that he also offered his condolences to Barzani over the deadly Iranian missile attack last week on Peshmerga bases in Erbil's Soran administration.

Condemnations poured in from within Iraq, including from Patiotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) leader Bafel Talabani, Deputy Prime Minister of the Kurdistan Region Qubad Talabani, Iraqi President Abdul Latif Rashid, leader of the Sunni Sovereignty Alliance Khamis al-Khanjar, and head of the National Wisdom Movement (Hikma) Ammar al-Hakim, among others.

Mazloum Abdi, commander of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) also “strongly” condemned the attack in a phone call with Barzani, affirming his “full support for the people and leadership of the Kurdistan Region in facing all threats and attacks.”

Prominent Kurdish politician Leyla Zana, Turkey's pro-Kurdish People's Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party), and the Kurdistan Toilers Party (Zahmatkeshan) also condemned the attack.

Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia' al-Sudani also condemned the attack in a phone call with the Kurdish leader shortly after the attack. The Iraqi premier ordered the formation of a “joint security and technical team from the relevant security agencies in the federal government and the [Kurdistan] Regional government to investigate the incident,” according to a statement from his office.

The Kurdistan Region's leaders have repeatedly stressed that the Region is not party to the ongoing conflict and does not plan to be.

Regardless, the Kurdistan Region has repeatedly been targeted throughout the US-Israeli war with Iran. The attacks by Iran and its proxies have not been limited to US interests in the Region.

On Tuesday, at least six Peshmerga were killed and 30 others injured in an Iranian ballistic missile attack on the forces’ bases in Erbil province’s Soran administration.

Nechirvan Barzani told reporters a day after the attack that Iran had told them the attack was a “mistake”, offered their apologies and condolences to the Kurdistan Region, and promised to launch an investigation into the incident.