Ground invasion of Iran launched? VIDEO

Thousands of Iraqi Kurdish fighters have launched a ground offensive against Iran, a U.S. official told Fox News. The Israeli news television channel i24News also reports that a U.S. official confirmed the offensive in Iran. A correspondent for Axios likewise reported confirmation from a senior U.S. official.

On the other hand, the Iranian news agency Tasnim said that its reporters in three border provinces denied earlier reports of armed Kurdish militants crossing into Iran from Iraq.

Representatives of Iranian Kurdish dissident groups based in northern Iraq told AP earlier today that preparations were underway for a potential cross-border military operation in Iran, and that the United States had requested support from Iraqi Kurds. Fox News, citing an unnamed U.S. official, claims that thousands of Kurdish fighters have already launched a ground offensive in Iran.

“On standby”

An official from the Kurdistan Freedom Party (PAK), based in the Iraqi Kurdistan region, Khalil Nadiri, said that some of their forces had moved to areas near the Iranian border in the province of Sulaymaniyah and were on standby.

He said that U.S. officials had contacted leaders of Kurdish opposition groups regarding a potential operation, without providing further details.

Kurdish groups are considered the most organized segment of Iran’s fragmented opposition and are believed to have thousands of trained fighters.

Kurdishstruggle / Alamy / Profimedia

Their entry into the war could pose a significant challenge for the authorities in Tehran and could also contribute to further drawing Iraq into the conflict, the U.S. agency assessed.

Earlier on Wednesday, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said that the U.S. military is not arming rebels in Iran, although he suggested that other parts of the U.S. government could potentially be involved.

At the White House, spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt denied reports that the Trump administration had agreed to arm Kurdish forces.

“I can comment on the fact that the president has held many conversations with partners, allies, and leaders in the region, in the Middle East,” Leavitt said.

“He did speak with Kurdish leaders regarding our base in northern Iraq. But as for any reports suggesting that the president agreed to such a plan, they are completely false and should not be published.”