ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq - The US Embassy in Baghdad on Thursday urged American citizens in Iraq to remain on high alert after eight bomb-laden drones targeted the Kurdistan Region's capital the previous night.

Following the “Iran-enabled drone attacks” on Erbil, the embassy advised US citizens “to maintain heightened readiness, monitor local media, and follow instructions from local authorities.”

“Travel disruptions and airspace closures could occur on short notice,” it added.

At least eight bomb-laden drones targeted Erbil late Wednesday, according to Kurdistan Region counterterrorism directorate. The city has repeatedly come under attack by Iran and Iran-aligned Iraqi militias since the onset of the US-Israeli war with Iran in late February.

The drone attack marked the first strike on Erbil city since the collapse of the US-Iran memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed on June 17, although intermittent attacks have continued to target Iranian Kurdish opposition groups elsewhere in the Kurdistan Region.

Iraq closed its airspace after the US-Israel war with Iran erupted in late February, as both sides exchanged drones and missiles. Iraq became the only country where both belligerents carried out attacks on its territory. The country's airspace reopened in early April following an initial two-week ceasefire between Washington and Tehran mediated by Pakistan.

In May, Tehran declared the Kurdistan Region a site of “hostile bases” under its security doctrine, warning that the United Arab Emirates (UAE) had been given the same designation, making both subject to preemptive strikes.

Despite that stance, Iran's consul general in Erbil, Faramarz Asadi, told The New Region on Sunday that Tehran has “never” attacked the Kurdistan Region, insisting its strikes have targeted only Iranian Kurdish opposition groups.