On Thursday, Tehran intensified its offensive against Kurdish forces in Iraq, following claims that Iranian militias had initiated a ground offensive against them.

Missile strikes targeted Kurdish bases along the western border, resulting in the deaths of several members of this ethnic minority, as confirmed by Iranian officials.

According to Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency, “We targeted the headquarters of Kurdish groups opposed to the revolution in Iraqi Kurdistan with three missiles.”

Ali Larijani, the secretary of Tehran’s Supreme National Security Council, criticized the Iranian Kurds, labeling them a “separatist group” with intentions to divide the country, and issued a stern warning for them to refrain from interfering in Iran.

“We will not tolerate them in any way,” Larijani stated emphatically.

This attack on Kurdish forces occurred just a day after reports surfaced of Iranian militias maneuvering near the border, though there were conflicting accounts regarding whether these forces had actually launched a ground assault.

The Iranian Kurds’ six major political parties came together under a single coalition on Wednesday with the direct goal of creating an autonomous region for themselves inside Iran, rejecting the “separatist” label.

Several of the groups put out statements that their troops were on standby near the border and have yet to mount an assault, with US and Israeli media reporting that the looming offensive was looking to divert Iran’s security forces to allow those inside the country to topple the regime.

If the Iranian Kurds — the most well-armed and experienced of the opposition groups — enter the battle, it would be the first major deployment of ground troops in the war with Tehran.

The move, however, could threaten the peace enjoyed by the Iraqi Kurds who allowed the Iranian exiles into their region on the condition that they not plot against Tehran.

There are an estimated 8 million Iranian Kurds. There are another 6 million people in Iraq’s Kurdistan region.

The US is reportedly backing the Kurds to take up arms against Iran, with President Trump offering the group “extensive US air cover” for such an operation, The Washington Post reported.

While the administration has denied coordinating plans to arm the Kurdish militias, several reports suggest the president has been speaking with Kurdish leaders this week and pressuring them to act.

“He told us the Kurds must choose a side in this battle — either with America and Israel or with Iran,” one Kurdish leader told the WaPo.