Kurdish journalist says Kurds in northern Iraq largely back Israel’s op against Iran’s regime

Kurds in northern Iraq largely back Israel’s bombing of Iran’s nuclear and ballistic missile sites, a Kurdish journalist based in Erbil tells The Times of Israel.

“Among many Kurds, there’s a sense of quiet approval, some would even say jubilation, about Israel targeting Iran,” says the journalist. “You see this mostly on social media, where people are openly expressing satisfaction. This sentiment is rooted in deep resentment toward the Iranian regime and its role in suppressing Kurdish aspirations both inside Iran and in Iraq through its proxies. So when Iran gets hit, many Kurds see it as a blow to one of their main oppressors.”

Kurds are even discussing the possibility of vacationing in Iran soon.

Kurdish leaders in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq have been silent, however.

“It’s a sensitive topic, of course,” explains the journalist. “Speaking up too strongly could provoke Tehran, while staying silent keeps the door open for quiet diplomacy and self-preservation. Most of them are likely watching the developments closely but choosing to stay out of it publicly. There are unconfirmed rumors that many of the Kurdish leaders have left the capital city of Erbil to undisclosed locations, because they fear Iran would hit them in their retaliation strikes.”

Many Kurds, especially younger ones, are hoping Israel’s strikes lead to a chain reaction that ends with regime change in Iran, according to the Kurdish journalist: “They believe a weakened or collapsed Iranian regime would shift the balance of power inside Iraq too, reducing the grip of the Iran-backed Shia militias and potentially improving the Kurdistan Region’s standing with Baghdad. There’s a long-held frustration about how the Iraqi government has treated the KRG [Kurdistan Regional Government], and most Kurds see Iranian influence as the main driver of that marginalization.”

Iran seems worried by the possibility that that Iranian Kurdish opposition groups might take advantage of the fighting to infiltrate from Iraqi Kurdistan back into Iran. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi stressed to Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani on Monday the importance of preventing “any exploitation by ill-wishers of both countries to destabilize border areas,” according to the Kurdish readout.