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ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – The highest levels of the Israeli government would like to see the prevention of incursions backed by the Iraqi central government into Kurdish.“The issue at present is... to prevent an attack on the Kurds, extermination of the Kurds and any harm to them, their autonomy and region..." Reuters reported Israeli Intelligence Minister Yisrael Katz as saying on Tel Aviv radio.Other Israeli officials are also working to sway international support for the Kurds.“This (territory) is a foothold. It’s a strategic place,” Reuters quoted an unnamed official in PM Benjamin Netanyahu's government as saying.He added Israel wanted to see Kurds in Iraq provided with the means to protect themselves. “It would be best if someone gave them weaponry, and whatever else, which we cannot give, obviously," said the source.Kurdistan's Security Council stated on Friday that the Peshmerga were under attack by Hashd al-Shaabi paramilitaries in Pirde, also known as Alton Kupri, just 50 kilometers south of Erbil.The Peshmerga General Command also stated that the Hashd were armed with "American weapons which were given to the Iraqi army" and "Iranian artillery units [were] also involved."In the fight "more than 10 Humvees and an Abrams tank were destroyed," the Peshmerga statement detailed.Reuters reported this week's "plight" for the Kurds was raised by Netanyahu in phone calls with German Chancellor Angela Merkel last week and Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday.The Kurdistan Regional Government is forbidden by Iraqi law from having diplomatic contact with the Israelis.Baghdad's incursions into Kirkuk come after the Kurdistan Region's independence referendum held on September 25 in which 92.7 percent of ballots cast were 'Yes' for independence.Israel bucked the international trend and expressed support for the independence efforts.Following the vote, Netanyahu rejected accusations by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan that Israeli intelligence services played a role in the vote.