Iran launches air strike on Pakistani territory, resulting in casualties
Pakistan reported on Wednesday that Iran had conducted an air strike within its borders, resulting in the tragic deaths of two children. The attack occurred near the shared border between the two nations late on Tuesday. Pakistan swiftly denounced the strike as “completely unacceptable” and asserted that it was unprovoked.
While Iran provided no immediate official comment, its state-run Nour News agency acknowledged the strike, claiming it targeted the Pakistani headquarters of the jihadist group Jaish al-Adl (Army of Justice). Formed in 2012, Jaish al-Adl is designated as a terrorist group by Iran and has been responsible for multiple attacks on Iranian soil.
The air strike came following Iran’s missile attacks on alleged “spy headquarters” and “terrorist” targets in Syria and Iraq’s autonomous Kurdistan region. This escalates tensions in an already volatile Middle East, with ongoing conflicts involving Israel, Hamas in Gaza, and Huthi rebels in Yemen.
The location of the strike, reported by Pakistani media as near Panjgur in southwest Balochistan province, highlights the vulnerability of the nearly 1,000-kilometer-long sparsely populated border shared by the two countries. Notably, hours before the incident, Pakistan’s caretaker Prime Minister Anwar-ul-Haq Kakar had met with Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian in Davos, Switzerland.
In response to the violation of its sovereignty, Pakistan summoned Tehran’s top diplomat in Islamabad to protest the “unprovoked violation of its airspace.” Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry emphasized the severity of the situation, expressing concern over the act despite existing channels of communication between the two nations. Michael Kugelman, director of the South Asia Institute at the Wilson Center, noted the unprecedented scale of the cross-border operation, suggesting a potential serious crisis in Pakistan-Iran relations.
The international community observes these developments closely, with Iraq recalling its ambassador from Iran and labeling the missile strikes as a “clear act of aggression.” This comes amidst heightened regional tensions, with Iran justifying its strikes in Iraq and Syria as a “targeted operation” and a “just punishment”
