An explosion has rocked a city in Iran’s western Kurdistan province, according to video verified by AFP, on the fifth day of the US-Israeli war against the Islamic republic.

Huge columns of smoke rose over the city of Baneh in the morning, according to the verified images. Videos shared of the explosion on social media said it hit a base belonging to Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

Strikes have also hit across the border in Iraqi Kurdistan, as the war in the Middle East rages across multiple fronts.

An exiled Iranian Kurdish group in Iraq has told AFP a strike around 11:30am local by Iranian forces killed one of its fighters, with the IRGC later confirming it had fired missiles at armed opposition groups in Iraq’s autonomous Kurdish region.

Opinion

Editorial

Dire straits
Updated 14 Jul, 2026

Dire straits

FOR some time, the escalating confrontation between the US and Iran has been playing out round the strategically...
Ethnic targets
Updated 14 Jul, 2026

Ethnic targets

THE murder of five workers from Punjab in Mashkel is another grim reminder that ethnic violence remains a persistent...
Poverty punished
14 Jul, 2026

Poverty punished

THE challenge of illegal migrations should be viewed through a humanitarian lens. Harsh punishments for the poor...
Banking inertia
Updated 13 Jul, 2026

Banking inertia

PRIME Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s latest call to banks to expand lending to SMEs is nothing new. Every government...
Justice imperilled
13 Jul, 2026

Justice imperilled

THE Human Rights Commission of Pakistan and the International Federation for Human Rights have raised concerns about...
Toxic staple
13 Jul, 2026

Toxic staple

A RECENT article published in Dawn has shed light on the challenges being faced by Sindh’s chilli farmers, whose...