Drone hits Korek Mountain near Soran for second consecutive day

SORAN — Residents in Rawanduz and Khalifan districts reported hearing an explosion and seeing smoke rising from Korek Mountain on Tuesday, the second such incident in as many days.

“According to initial information, it was a drone that fell on the mountain,” a security source told 964media. A similar incident occurred Monday at the same location. Sources said it remains unclear whether the drones were intentionally directed at Korek Mountain or fell there.

The explosion occurred near an abandoned observatory that was previously damaged during the Iran-Iraq war in 1985.

The incidents are part of a broader wave of drone and missile activity across the Kurdistan Region since the war between the United States, Israel and Iran began Saturday. Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein said Monday that more than 70 missiles and drones have targeted Erbil alone. Iran and Iran-aligned Iraqi militias — including the Islamic Resistance in Iraq and Saraya Awliya al-Dam — have claimed responsibility for multiple aerial attacks, with prominent targets including the U.S. Consulate in Erbil and Erbil Air Base.