Pakistan launches military strikes on Iran in response to bombing

Pakistan has hit Iran with what it described as “highly coordinated” military strikes, a little more than 24 hours after Iranian air strikes in Balochistan

Pakistan has hit Iran with what it described as “highly coordinated” military strikes, a little more than 24 hours after Iranian air strikes in Balochistan, further raising tensions between the neighbours and sparking fears of a broader conflict.

On Thursday morning, according to a statement from its Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Pakistan conducted what it called an “intelligence-based operation” against hideouts of armed groups in the Sistan-Baluchistan province of Iran.

Codenamed “Marg Bar Sarmachar” (Death to Sarmachar), the so-called operation resulted in the death of a “number of terrorists”, Pakistan said, without specifying how many people had been killed.

Iranian state media said Thursday morning’s attack killed at least seven people. Iran’s foreign ministry summoned the senior-most Pakistani diplomat in Tehran to “offer explanations” for the attacks.

The Pakistani response came a day after Iran launched air strikes using “drones and missiles” against Jaish al-Adl, an armed group, near Panjgur city in Pakistan’s southwestern province of Balochistan, bordering Iran. Tehran has accused the Jaish al-Adl of multiple attacks in the past.