Pakistan has said it launched a series of airstrikes on “terrorist hideouts” in southern Iran, claiming the “precision” operation neutralized several militants. The attack comes after Tehran acknowledged its own raids on another terrorist group based in Pakistan.
Meanwhile, Iranian officials, cited by local media, said that explosions in the Sistan-o-Balochistan province had killed seven non-Iranian nationals, including three women and four children. Tehran has also demanded an “immediate explanation” from Pakistan about the strikes, Iranian broadcaster Press TV reported, citing an unnamed informed source.
Islamabad’s attack comes after Iran claimed responsibility for Tuesday’s missile and drone attacks on Pakistani Balochistan, which it said targeted the Jaish al-Adli terrorist group. At the time, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian stressed that the attack had only targeted Iranian “terrorists” and not Pakistani citizens.
Iran’s operation, however, angered Pakistan, which recalled its ambassador to the country while warning Tehran of “serious consequences.”
Both strikes come at a time of heightened tensions in the Middle East, fueled by the Hamas-Israel conflict. Earlier this week, Iran also conducted strikes on what it described as an Israeli “espionage center” in Iraq – which landed near the US consulate – as well as Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS) terrorists in Syria. The barrage came in response to two previous blasts in Iran that claimed the lives of dozens of people, according to Tehran.
This is a significant new intervention and escalation of an ongoing global conflict; this conflict is turning into the WW3 that we've all been dreading.
@9J6JBM4Conservative1yr1Y
Pakistan have every right to defend their border and retaliate for Irans attack.
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