Iran hits opposition camps in Iraq during Israel conflict - analysis

Iran has launched ballistic missile strikes on Israel while also trying to stir up trouble in Iraq. A central goal for Tehran is keeping its long-standing influence in Iraq intact. This has led to repeated drone and missile attacks on Kurdish Iranian opposition groups based in Iraq.

Security sources told Reuters that two drone strikes hit an Iranian Kurdish opposition camp east of Erbil on Monday, though no one was hurt. Additional drone attacks occurred on Sunday near Sulaimaniya, with one hitting a Peshmerga base and another striking a camp housing Iranian Kurdish opposition groups west of the city.

Iraq pulled into regional conflict by Iranian actions

Iraq closed its airspace during the Iranian attacks on Israel. The country often ends up in the middle of these clashes because Iran wants to open a new front there. After American and Israeli strikes on Iran in late February 2026, Tehran activated its proxy militias in Iraq to hit Kurdish and US sites, resulting in at least 800 attacks inside the Kurdistan Region.

Many of those strikes focused on Kurdish opposition organizations including the Kurdistan Freedom Party (PAK), the Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan (PDKI), and Komala. These groups, along with the Kurdistan Free Life Party (PJAK) and Khabat, formed a network to coordinate activities against the Iranian regime.

Opposition network faces sustained pressure

Millions of Kurds live in Iran, and several dissident factions have relocated to northern Iraq. Iran has long pressured Baghdad to shut down their bases. During the recent escalation, Tehran stepped up attacks using missiles and drones fired from inside Iran or through Shiite militias operating in Iraq.

New Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi has urged pro-Iranian militias to surrender their weapons to the government, but progress remains limited. While the group tied to Muqtada al-Sadr complied, harder-line factions such as Kataib Hezbollah and Harakat Hezbollah al-Nujaba are expected to retain their arms and continue serving Iranian goals. These militias have already struck US diplomatic sites in Baghdad, abducted and later freed journalist Shelly Kittelson, and targeted the US consulate in Erbil as well as sites in Kuwait. Iraq now faces renewed tension as regional fighting continues.