ANKARA, March 1. /TASS/. The pro-Iranian Shiite group Saraya Awliya al-Dam operating in Iraq has claimed responsibility for the attack on the airport in the city of Erbil, the administrative center of Iraqi Kurdistan, the Rudaw television channel reported.

The group announced a large-scale operation against US military facilities in Iraq to avenge the killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The group used drones carrying explosives and "missiles of a new type," the TV channel said, adding that most of the drones were shot down by the airport’s air defense systems.

Der Spiegel reported earlier, citing sources, that in response to the joint US and Israeli attack, Iran launched strikes on German bases in Jordan and Iraq. According to the magazine, Iranian missiles and drones were launched against a base located near Erbil Airport in northern Iraq and a Bundeswehr field camp in eastern Jordan. While all projectiles and drones were neutralized by air defense systems, one US soldier was affected by falling debris.