Iran has begun airstrikes against suspected Sunni militant strongholds in Pakistan, potentially escalating tensions in a region already intensified by Israel's war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
Pakistan said two children were killed and three others injured in the attack late Tuesday, which it called an “unprovoked violation” of its airspace.
Confusion arose after Iran's announcement as state media coverage quickly disappeared. However, Iran's attack on nuclear-armed Pakistan threatens the relationship between the two countries, which have long viewed each other with suspicion despite maintaining diplomatic ties.
The attack comes less than a day after Iran announced its attack in Iraq and Syria, with Tehran vehemently condemning the attack, which claimed that two suicide bombings by the Sunni extremist group Islamic State had killed more than 90 people. This was a follow-up to the attack on
Iran's state-run IRNA news agency and state television said missiles and drones were used in attacks targeting the militant group Jaish al-Adl in Pakistan. Press TV, the English-language arm of Iranian state television, said the attack was carried out by Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guards.
Jaish al-Adl, or “Army of Justice,” is a Sunni extremist group founded in 2012 that operates primarily across Pakistan's borders. The militants have claimed to have bombed and kidnapped Iranian border police in the past.
Iran has been battling insurgents in its border areas, but the missile and drone attacks on Pakistan are unprecedented for Iran. According to Iranian reports, the airstrike took place in the mountains of Pakistan's Balochistan province.
Pakistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned the attack in strong terms.
“Pakistan strongly condemns Iran's unprovoked airspace violation, which resulted in the deaths of two innocent children and the injury of three girls,” the statement said. “Violations of Pakistan's sovereignty are completely unacceptable and can have serious consequences.”
It added: “Pakistan has always said that terrorism is a common threat to all countries in the region and requires concerted action. This could seriously undermine trust and confidence between countries.”
Two Pakistani security officials said Iranian airstrikes damaged a mosque in Panjgur district of Balochistan province, about 50 kilometers (50 kilometers) into Pakistan from the Iranian border. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to journalists.
The attack occurred on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, as Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdullahian was meeting with Pakistan's interim Prime Minister Anwar-ul-Haq Kakar. It was not immediately clear what the men discussed.
Balochistan has been facing a low-level insurgency by Baluch nationalists for more than two decades. Baluch nationalists initially wanted a share of the state's resources, but later rebelled for independence.
Iran has long suspected that Sunni-majority Pakistan is hosting rebels, perhaps at the behest of its arch-rival Saudi Arabia. However, Iran and Saudi Arabia reached a detente brokered by China in March last year, and tensions eased.
Meanwhile, attacks by insurgents from Iran have targeted Pakistani security forces. In April 2023, four Pakistani soldiers were killed in Balochistan province in an attack by militants from across the border with Iran.
Late Monday, Iran fired missiles into northern Syria targeting Islamic State and what it called Israel's “spy headquarters” near the U.S. consulate in the city of Erbil.
On Tuesday, Iraq recalled its ambassador from Tehran, calling the attack, which killed several civilians, a “clear violation” of Iraq's sovereignty.
