Key facts
- Turkey reportedly pressured the US to prevent a Kurdish militia incursion into Iran.
- The planned operation was allegedly supported by US intelligence agencies and involved weapon transfers and training for Kurdish fighters.
- Israeli officials accused US Vice President JD Vance of leaking details of the operation to Turkey, leading to Ankara's intervention.
- The planned invasion was reportedly part of a broader Israeli and US strategy for regime change in Iran.
- A low-level conflict between Iran and Kurdish armed groups persists.
Turkey intervened to prevent a planned Kurdish militia incursion into Iran during the recent war, according to an Israeli media report. The operation, allegedly months in the making and supported by US intelligence, was halted after President Recep Tayyip Erdogan pressured Washington. Senior Israeli sources told i24News that Kurdish fighters were prepared to attack Iran, having received weapons a week prior to the planned operation. However, the US vetoed the plan, a move Israeli officials attributed to leaks from individuals close to US Vice President JD Vance, who allegedly informed Ankara of the imminent attack. Turkey, which has a history of conflict with Kurdish separatists, has been concerned about instability on its borders. The report suggests the planned invasion was part of a broader Israeli and US strategy for regime change in Iran. Earlier reports indicated the CIA provided military support to Kurdish groups along the Iran-Iraq border, and that Israeli intelligence had been in contact with these militias. While the large-scale incursion did not materialize, a low-level conflict between Iran and Kurdish armed groups continues, with Iran recently reporting the killing of five members of the Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan.