 Israel became the first state to support the independence of Iraqi Kurdistan, however it has not recognized it as an independent state.In 2004, it was reported by the "New Yorker" magazine, that allegedly Israeli military and intelligence operatives are active in Kurdish areas of Iran, Syria and Iraq, providing training for commando units and running covert operations.In response, Israel's embassy in Washington denied the claim, which was sourced in the magazine mainly to an unnamed former and current intelligence officials in Israel, the US and Turkey.