Iranian drones carried out a deadly strike on Kurdish opposition forces near Sulaimania this week, killing members of the Komalah group in what marks a clear escalation of Tehran’s cross-border operations inside Iraq’s Kurdistan Region.

But the attack is only part of a broader and more alarming reality. Evidence obtained by IsraelPress shows that Iranian-backed militias are not only operating freely in Sulaimania—they are actively controlling local institutions. Armed groups have been entering hospitals, threatening staff, and enforcing orders that forbid treatment of wounded Kurdish opposition fighters.

“They came to our hospital with weapons and warned us not to treat anyone targeted by Iran,” a senior medical official said anonymously.

A leaked directive circulating among hospital administrators confirms this pressure, effectively turning medical facilities into tools of the regime. Hospitals are being forced to deny care based on political alignment—an open violation of international law.

Taken together, the drone strikes, militia intimidation, and control over healthcare reveal a stark reality: Sulaimania is increasingly under the grip of Iranian influence, where even politicians and hospitals are compelled to serve the regime’s agenda.