ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq – Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani on Tuesday slammed as a “war crime” an Iranian drone strike that killed a married couple north of Erbil city, asserting that the repeated attacks on the Kurdistan Region are carried out on “baseless pretexts.”

“I condemn, denounce, and shame this despicable crime in every possible way,” Barzani said in a statement, asserting that the attacks on residential homes are “a war crime.”

“We convey the appeal of the innocent people of Kurdistan to the whole world to put an end to this oppression and to no longer attack the people of Kurdistan under baseless pretexts,” said the premier.

An overnight drone strike targeted the Darashakran subdistrict, located north of the Kurdistan Region’s capital of Erbil, striking a civilian home and killing a married couple, Erbil Governor Omed Khoshnaw told The New Region.

The victims were identified as Musa Rasul and his wife, Mujda Hassan. 

Khoshnaw asserted that the targeted village is “far away” from any military or security institutions, dubbing the attack an “oppressive” endeavor against the civilian population of the Kurdistan Region.

He added that the province came under a “broad attack” overnight, with the majority of drones and missiles intercepted by air defense systems.

The Kurdistan Region’s counterterrorism service said the explosive-laden drone was “launched from Iran,” denouncing it as a “violation of international law and a war crime.”

Erbil has been struck by over 500 missiles and drones since the onset of the Iran war, resulting in at least 16 dead, dozens injured, and heavy material damage, Khoshnaw said on Thursday.

Kurdish authorities have continuously condemned the attacks launched by Iran and its backed militias against the Region, while calling on Baghdad to control the “outlaw groups” and prevent the recurrence of strikes.