Iraq should not be used as a base for attacks against neighboring countries, the central government and the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) said in a statement on Friday, after reports of militants attempting to cross into Iran in support of U.S. and Israel.

Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani and KRG president Nechirvan Barzani agreed in a phone call "that Iraqi territory must not be used as a launching point for attacks against neighbouring countries," the premier's media office said.

Tehran threatened Friday to target "all the facilities" of Iraq's autonomous region if exiled Kurdish Iranian militants were allowed to enter Iran.

Israel has been bombing parts of western Iran to ​support Iranian Kurdish militias who hope to exploit the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran to seize towns near the frontier, according to three sources familiar with Israel's talks with the factions.

The notion of an offensive by Iranian Kurdish forces ⁠based in Iraq gained attention on Friday when U.S. President Donald Trump told ⁠Reuters it would be "wonderful" if they crossed the border.

A Kurdish insurgency could have serious consequences for Iran as it defends itself against the air campaign. The militias have consulted with the U.S. about how and whether to attack Iran's security forces, Reuters has reported.

Israel has been holding its own talks with Iranian Kurdish insurgent groups based in ​the ⁠semi-autonomous region of Iraqi Kurdistan for around a year, two Iranian Kurdish sources said, while an Israeli source said talks had been "long-term."

The two Iranian Kurdish sources have direct knowledge of the armed dissident groups and the source from Israel has direct knowledge of its engagement with them. All spoke on condition of anonymity.

Israel's government and the Israeli military did not immediately respond to requests for comment, and Israel has not commented publicly on such engagement during the current war.

An initial goal of the Kurdish factions would be seizing Iranian territory along the border, the three sources said. One of the Kurdish sources said their aim was to seize the towns of Oshnavieh and Piranshahr, among others.

These sources said thousands of fighters were gathering on the Iraqi side of the border and preparing to launch an offensive within a week, something Reuters was not able to confirm.

Independent estimates put the militias' combined strength at 5,000-8,000.

They possess only light arms, according to the Kurdish sources. But while they might not have the firepower to mount a significant bid for self-rule, with U.S. and Israeli help, they could cause trouble on the border.

The ⁠Israeli source ⁠said Israel did not expect them to be able to overthrow their government, but that backing them could erode Iran's control over its hinterlands and distract its Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

Five long-standing Iranian dissident groups announced an alliance just at the end of last month.

It includes the Iranian offshoot of the PKK terrorist group, PJAK, the Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan (PDKI) and the Kurdistan Freedom Party (PAK), which have all participated in insurgencies and maintain fighters in Iraq.

It is not clear that they will get any support from their ethnic brethren in Iraq; KRG's political leadership has publicly denied any plan to send fighters or get involved in Iran, despite reports of outside pressure to do so.

The Israeli source cautioned that there was pushback from the Iraqi Kurds, and without their practical support, it would be hard for the Iranian Kurds to mobilize. Trump's lack of clarity on how long the war could last had also led to ⁠hesitancy.

Iran has been attacking Kurdish armed groups inside Iraq, along with U.S. bases in the area, and on Friday warned KRG administration that it would retaliate against any deployment of hostile forces on the frontier.

The three sources said Kurds within Iran had been providing targeting intelligence on the border areas to the U.S. and Israel.

Israeli analyst Jonathan ​Spyer said Israel was seeking to "destroy the regime by any means available."

Kurdish groups have a long history of working with the U.S., but recent incidents ⁠have strained ties.

One of the Iranian Kurdish sources said Kurdish leaders had concerns about being "betrayed" like the terrorist YPG/PKK in northern Syria, who had been forced ⁠to cede territory after long serving as ​the primary U.S. partner in the area.

The source said Iranian Kurdish leaders had requested guarantees from the U.S., without saying what they were.

Both Iranian Kurdish sources said the factions' goal would be to establish a semi-autonomous region in a federal Iran, similar to the model in Iraq.