A drone attack in Iraq's semi-autonomous Kurdish region injured eight members of an exiled Iranian Kurdish opposition group on Sunday, the group said, accusing Tehran of carrying out the strike.

The northern Kurdistan region, which hosts US forces and foreign oil firms, has frequently been targeted by Iran and its allied Iraqi militias amid heightened tensions.

During the Middle East war, the northern Kurdistan region, which hosts US troops and foreign oil companies as well as exiled Iranian Kurdish rebels, has been a target for attacks carried out by Iran and pro-Iran Iraqi armed groups.

The renewed escalation in Kurdistan follows the resumption of hostilities between the United States and Iran.

Adib Khaldian, a representative of the exiled Kurdistan Freedom Party (PAK), told AFP that 'at 02:00 am (2300 GMT Saturday), Iranian forces attacked with a drone' a party camp near Irbil.

“Eight of our members were wounded,” Khaldian said, blaming the attack on Iran.

The previous day, drone and rocket strikes similarly attributed to Iran killed nine fighters from the Komala Party, another Iranian Kurdish opposition group.

The latest attacks are the biggest escalation against these groups, which Iran has continued to strike even after a ceasefire was announced in April.

In Irbil, the capital of autonomous Kurdistan, AFP journalists reported hearing loud blasts before dawn after air defenses were activated in the city.

In recent days, the US-led anti-extremist coalition’s air defenses shot down several explosive-laden drones over the city, which is home to a major US consulate complex and houses military advisers attached to the coalition at its airport.

Kurdistan’s prime minister blamed Iran and urged it to stop “unjustified attacks” on the region.

During the Middle East war, pro-Iran armed groups, operating under the umbrella of the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, targeted US facilities in Iraq more than 600 times in support of Tehran.

No group has claimed responsibility for the recent attacks.

These attacks mark an escalation against Iranian Kurdish dissidents, who have long been a source of friction between Tehran and Baghdad. Despite a ceasefire announced in April, Iran continues to strike these groups, raising concerns about wider instability in the region. The US-led coalition's air defenses in Irbil have been active, shooting down several drones in recent days.