Kurdish fighters in Iraq. File photo. [AP Yonhap News]

There are multiple reports that Kurds, scattered across the Middle East without a homeland, have launched ground offensive operations targeting Iran in conjunction with the U.S. and Israeli governments.

As Iran is struggling with airstrikes from the U.S. and Israel, it is anticipated that the level of intervention could become a significant variable in the war.

Citing U.S. government officials, Fox News reported on the 4th (local time) that thousands of Kurdish fighters have crossed from Iraq into Iran and initiated ground offensive operations.

The Israeli English-language newspaper, The Jerusalem Post, citing anonymous Israeli and U.S. government officials, reported that hundreds of Kurdish fighters have begun ground operations in the border region between Iraq and Iran.

According to the Fox News report, many of the fighters are Iranian Kurds who have resided in Iraq for many years and are returning to northwestern Iran as part of this offensive operation.

They are reportedly a militia composed of Iranian Kurds attempting to instigate a large-scale uprising against the current Iranian regime.

The Jerusalem Post, citing Kurdish sources, reported that Iranian Kurdish groups have been preparing in recent days to participate in ground operations in western Iran, with the objective of pressuring Iran's security forces and dispersing them to various locations.

This source explained that the strategic concept of the operation is to force the Iranian regime to disperse its military and security forces by engaging in combat in border areas, thereby alleviating the pressure on protesters and opposition groups in major Iranian cities.

The Kurdish side expects Israel and the U.S. to support such operations, anticipating that both countries will play a role in intelligence sharing, military support, and creating operational conditions for Kurdish fighters to engage in combat within Iranian territory.

U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth stated at a briefing that the U.S. military is not providing weapons to insurgent forces within Iran.

Hegseth said, "Our (the Department of Defense's) objective is not predicated on supporting or arming specific forces," adding, "So, while we are aware of what other entities are doing, our objective is not centered on that."

Local media interpreted Secretary Hegseth's remarks as suggesting the possibility of involvement by other U.S. government overseas operations agencies, such as the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), rather than the U.S. Department of Defense.

Israel stated that it has joined forces with the Kurds with the aim of instigating a rebellion to promote the collapse of Iran's new theocratic regime.

An Israeli government official said, "We (Israel) are supporting Kurdish militias operating in western Iran," explaining that the goal of the support is to encourage a broader uprising by having the militias seize control of some areas within Iran and challenge the regime.

U.S. CNN reported that the CIA is proceeding with arming Kurdish militias to instigate an uprising in Iran and is actively engaging in dialogue with Iranian opposition groups and Kurdish leaders in Iraq.

Iranian-Kurdish armed groups operate thousands of troops in the Iraq-Iran border region, primarily in the autonomous region of Kurdistan in Iraq.

People gather near a house hit by a drone attack in Erbil, Kurdistan Region, Iraq, on March 4, 2026. [AP Photo/Salar Salim] 

Some of these groups have issued public statements since the outbreak of the war on the 28th of last month, hinting at impending actions and urging Iranian soldiers to defect.

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) of Iran has been attacking Kurdish groups and announced on the 3rd that they had bombed Kurdish forces with dozens of drones.

A source and a senior official in the Kurdistan Regional Government told CNN that the CIA's support for Iranian Kurdish groups began months before the outbreak of the war.

Previously, foreign media reported various indications that Kurdish groups were preparing for military operations within Iran.

The Associated Press reported that Kurdish groups operating against the Iranian government in northern Iraq are preparing to cross into Iran and conduct military operations in the future.

The agency added that the U.S. had requested Iraqi Kurdish officials to support these groups.

Among Iran's fragmented and often disunited anti-government groups, Kurdish organizations are known not only to be the most organized but also to possess thousands of armed personnel.

If Kurdish groups in Iran and Iraq were to join the war in Iran, it could mark the beginning of a full-scale ground war.

Kurdish militias have considerable combat experience from their conflicts with the Islamic State (IS).

Khalil Nadiri, an official from the Party for Free Kurdistan (PAK), active in Kurdistan, a semi-autonomous region of northern Iraq, told the Associated Press on the 4th that some of the group's forces have moved to the Iranian border area in Sulaymaniyah province and are on standby.

He mentioned that U.S. officials had contacted leaders of Kurdish groups opposing the Iranian government to gauge the possibility of operations, but did not provide details.

However, numerous sources have provided information that contradicts Fox News' report that Iraqi Kurdish fighters have crossed into Iran to engage in ground warfare.

White House Press Secretary Caroline Levitt stated on the 4th that U.S. President Donald Trump spoke with Kurdish leaders the day after the war began on March 1st, but this was regarding U.S. military bases in northern Iraq and not an attempt to overthrow the Iranian regime.

Levitt also denied reports that the Trump administration had decided to provide weapons to Kurdish forces.

Aziz Ahmad, deputy chief of staff for the Prime Minister's office of the Kurdistan Regional Government in Iraq, denied the reports, stating, "Not a single Iraqi Kurd has crossed the border."

According to Iran's state-run Tasnim news agency, sources within the IRGC and Iranian security forces also claimed that reports of Kurdish activities within Iran are false information intended for psychological warfare to undermine morale.