In the midst of demonstrations, Iran launches new attacks on Iraqi Kurdistan.

According to Kurdish sources, Iranian drones attacked a Kurdish-Iranian dissident organization, killing 13 individuals. The assaults came amid internal tension in Iran after the death of Kurdish woman Mahsa Amini while she was under arrest.

Iran used drone bombs to strike an opposition group in Iraqi Kurdistan, killing 13 people and injuring 58, the Iraqi Kurdistan counterterrorism agency claimed on Wednesday.

The attacks on the Iranian-Kurdish organization occurred amid ongoing turmoil in Iran after the death of Mahsa Amini nearly two weeks ago.

Amini, a 22-year-old Iranian-Kurdish woman, died in custody after being apprehended by the Islamic Republic's infamous morality police.

Credit: Gailan Haji/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock

What info do we have on the strikes?

According to state-run news agency IRNA, Iran's Revolutionary Guard employed "precise missiles" and "suicide drones" to hit the facilities of a Kurdish separatist organization operating out of northern Iraq.

The incident was denounced by the Kurdistan Democratic Party of Iran (KDPI), a leftist armed opposition movement in Iran. "These despicable acts come at a time when the terrorist government of Iran is unable to clamp down on ongoing demonstrations inside and suppress the civic resistance of the Kurdish and Iranian peoples," the KDPI stated.

The strike, according to a KDPI member, was aimed at Koya, some 65 kilometers east of Irbil. The attacks were also criticized by the federal Iraqi government and the autonomous Kurdish authority.

"The Iranian ambassador to Baghdad will be summoned urgently to deliver a letter of protest in a very harsh tone to him about the bombardments" against autonomous Iraqi Kurdistan, said Iraqi Foreign Ministry spokesman Ahmed al-Sahaf in a statement.

Credit: AFP-JIJI

How has the international community reacted?

Berlin, Washington, and London all criticized the attacks on Iraq's Kurdistan region on Wednesday.

The incident was described by the US State Department as an "unjustified breach of Iraqi sovereignty and territorial integrity."

The attacks also highlighted "a recurring pattern of Iranian disruptive action in the area," according to the UK.

Credit: AP; Francisco Seco

What is going on in Iran?

Women-led demonstrations in Iran resumed for the 12th night in a row on Tuesday, according to opposition media. Dozens of people have been killed in the violence that followed Amini's death, and over 1,200 people have been detained. On Wednesday, police warned that they would deal with the protesters "with all their might."

Iranian officials are said to have limited internet access in order to stymie rallies and organizations, as well as to keep footage of their crackdown from leaking. On Wednesday, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi addressed the country, stating, "Mahsa Amini's death has devastated all of us." The hardline leader pledged to provide a forensic report on the young woman's death in the coming days. The president also said that riots and violence were unacceptable and that police were risking their lives to keep the nation safe, adding, "No one will allow anarchy to undermine the people's security."

Several Western nations, as well as the United Nations, have expressed support for the rallies and urged Iran to conduct an investigation into Amini's killing. Shirin Ebadi, a Nobel Peace Prize recipient, and Iranian political activist has stated that the international community should do more to help Iranians.

"They just speak. We don't want words; we want results. They should withdraw their ambassadors from Iran as long as there is repression. Also, please include the offenders engaged in the killing of these people... to your list of sanctions, "She said.

According to the AFP news agency, Spain summoned the Iranian ambassador on Wednesday "to express its objection over the repression of the protests and the violation of women's rights."