Why Israel's looking to Kurds to make gains against Iran regime
Israeli-Kurdish relations are rooted in a common struggle against Islamic extremism and the Kurds’ strategic presence across Turkey, Syria and Iran.
Disappointed with Israel over its lack of military support for Kurds in Syria, Iranian Kurds in Iraq might still be willing to cooperate with Israel in efforts to topple the Iranian regime — if the United States takes the lead, experts say.
President Donald Trump told Reuters on Thursday that he would welcome Kurdish involvement in the war but stopped short of saying whether the United States would provide — or had offered — air support for any such effort.
"As far as the Americans and the Israelis are concerned, the Iranian Kurds are the only real option for getting into the country with boots on the ground," Adel Bakawan, director of the European Institute for Studies on the Middle East and North Africa, told Al-Monitor.
Over the years, many Iranian Kurds have crossed into Iraq, fearing they would be persecuted for their political activities or ties to Kurdish opposition movements that are seeking greater autonomy or independence.
