Residents living near Erbil International Airport shared footage with Rudaw showing the moment one of the drones was intercepted midair. Videos circulating online captured bright flashes followed by loud blasts as air defense systems engaged the targets.
According to additional videos sent to Rudaw, debris from one drone fell on Erbil’s 120-Meter Road, leaving a visible crater in the street after exploding. Witnesses reported that a fire broke out in the area at the time the drone was downed near the busy roadway.
No immediate reports of casualties were confirmed by local authorities at the time of publication.
Shortly after the incident, the Iranian opposition group Kurdistan Freedom Party (PAK), which is based in the Kurdistan Region, issued a statement claiming its positions had been targeted but that the attack was thwarted.
“The enemy's missile attack on the headquarters of the Kurdistan National Army has been thwarted,” the statement read.
“Just now, the occupying enemy launched a series of ballistic missiles toward the bases of the powerful Kurdistan Army - the Kurdistan National Army. Fortunately, all the missiles that have targeted our bases so far were detonated in the air by defense systems above the headquarters.”
“This is the third missile attack on the headquarters of the Kurdistan National Army since yesterday,” the statement said, adding that “no casualties or injuries have been reported among the Peshmerga forces so far.”
The Kurdistan National Army is the armed wing affiliated with PAK, an Iranian Kurdish opposition party that has previously accused Tehran of targeting its bases in the Kurdistan Region.
Meanwhile, a pro-Iran armed group, Saraya Awliya al-Dam (Guardians of the Blood Brigades), claimed responsibility for the latest attacks in Erbil, adding that drones and rockets were used in the assault.
Updated at 9:19 pm