Pakistan launched missile strikes on Iran a day after a similar Iranian attack.
According to Iranian authorities, 10 people were killed as a result of the strikes.
What is known so far
This morning, the French news agency Agence France-Presse, citing a source in Pakistani intelligence, reported that the Pakistani Armed Forces had carried out strikes on militant camps of anti-Pakistan terrorist groups located in Iran.
The Iranian news agency IRNA reported explosions in the Serawan district, located in the province of Sistan and Baluchestan bordering Pakistan.
The press service of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Pakistan reported the elimination of several terrorists as a result of a series of targeted high-precision strikes.
The Pakistani Foreign Ministry emphasized that Islamabad respects the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Iran, and the only purpose of the strike, carried out due to the receipt of reliable information about the impending large-scale terrorist activity of the Sarmachars (Baloch nationalists), was to ensure the security and national interests of Pakistan.
The Iranian Fars agency, citing the deputy governor of Sistan and Baluchistan, reported that three women and four children were killed as a result of the strikes. All of them were not Iranian citizens. Later it became known that the number of deaths had increased to 10.
Reuters, citing a Pakistani intelligence source, reported that the targets were terrorists associated with the Balochistan Liberation Front. According to the agency, Pakistani Air Force aircraft entered Iranian airspace to carry out the strikes.
As a representative of the Pakistani security forces told Reuters, the country’s armed forces are in a state of heightened combat readiness and are ready to decisively respond to any “adventures” by Iran.
The head of the interim government of Pakistan, Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar, interrupted his participation in the Davos Forum and hastily flew to Islamabad.
As reported by the Pakistani publication Dawn, Pakistani President Arif Alvi highly praised the professionalism of the country’s armed forces. He stressed that Pakistan respects the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries and expects other states not to violate international law.
According to Press TV, Iran demanded an explanation from Pakistan. The Iranian Foreign Ministry summoned Pakistan’s charge d’affaires.
The Iranian Foreign Ministry has not yet officially commented on the incident. The Chinese Foreign Ministry expressed its readiness to help resolve differences between Islamabad and Tehran. Beijing hopes countries will exercise restraint, avoid escalation and continue to resolve differences through dialogue.
Iranian attack yesterday
On January 16, the Iranian news agency Tasnim reported that the Iranian Armed Forces launched a missile and drone attack on two headquarters of the Jaysh al-Zolm terrorist group in Pakistan.
The Pakistani Foreign Ministry condemned the strike, calling it a violation of Pakistani airspace that could have serious consequences. According to the department, two children died as a result of the attack.
Pakistani Foreign Minister Jalil Abbas Jilani, in a telephone conversation with Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian, said that Islamabad reserves the right to respond to Tehran’s provocative actions.
Earlier, the head of the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense Rustem Umerov suddenly canceled his visit to France.
