This Tuesday, Iran says it has attacked a terrorist organization in West Pakistan. It was the third country to carry out airstrikes in a week, following operations against targets in Iraq and Syria.
Iranian state television reported that the operation targeted two locations in Balochistan linked to the terrorist organization Jaish al-Adl.
Two children died and three others were injuredAccording to Pakistani officials.
The Islamabad government considered the airstrike an “illegal act” and warned that it would lead to “severe consequences”.
He also said that he has recalled his ambassador to Iran and will not allow the Iranian ambassador to return to the country for the time being.
This latest Iranian attack occurs in a context Tension in various parts of the region.
Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas have been waging an unprecedented war for more than 100 days, with US and British forces coordinating airstrikes against Houthi positions in Yemen after Iran-backed Houthi rebel fighters attacked merchant ships in the Red Sea.
How did Iran justify the attacks?
Iran's operations in Pakistan targeted a village in the vast frontier province of Balochistan in the country's southwest.
Tehran said its target was Jaish al-Adl, or “Army of Justice,” a Baloch Sunni sect that has organized attacks in Iran and against Pakistani government forces.
Earlier, on Monday, Iran fires missiles at Iraqi targets The northern city of Irbil draws condemnation from the US.
The country maintains 2,500 troops in Iraq, including in Irbil, as part of a coalition with local forces aimed at preventing an Islamic State resurgence.
Revolutionary Guard of Iran He said they beat what they say An Israeli spy headquarters in the semi-autonomous region of Kurdistan in Iraq. According to local authorities, four civilians were killed and six others injured in the attack.
then, Iran strikes targets in Syria, in the northwestern province of Idlib, which is the last opposition stronghold in the country from Syrian government control. 2.9 million displaced people live here, many in dire conditions in refugee camps.
The fortress supported the 2011 revolution against President Bashar al-Assad, who was able to stay in power with the support of Russia and Iran.
The Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sharm is primarily in control of Idlib, although Islamic State and al Qaeda are also present.
In this case, Iran's Revolutionary Army reported that an attack was carried out in Syria in response A suicide bombing killed 84 people in early JanuaryAs the masses commemorated the fourth anniversary of the killing of Iranian General Qassem Soleimani at the hands of the United States.
How are Iran's attacks affecting Middle East tensions?
Tehran says it does not want to engage in a major conflictAlthough their calling is militant groups “Axis of Resistance”This includes Houthi fighters In Yemen, Hezbollah Various groups in Lebanon and Syria and Iraq have attacked Israel and its allies to show solidarity with the Palestinians.
Now, this attack on its nuclear-armed neighbor Pakistan marks a new escalation of tension in the Middle East.
At this time, a diplomatic crisis erupted with the withdrawal of Pakistan's ambassador to Iran and the entry of a veto by his adversary in Pakistan.
However, Pakistani security commentator Amir Rana told the BBC that the diplomatic crisis “will take some time to calm down. Pakistan does not want to escalate this.“.
Right now, Iran is keen to show strength and demonstrate to its own people that acts of violence, such as the recent suicide attack at the Soleimani memorial, will not go unpunished.
Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has strengthened its position as a regional power in recent years, according to BBC Persian Service journalist Ziar Kol.
According to the journalist, the Irbil attack indicates that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps is not only capable of conducting precision strikes, but is also capable of attacking military bases near the Iraqi city's international airport, where US forces are stationed. and other foreign powers.
For its part, the attack on the northwestern Syrian province of Idlib will have a message for another recipient:
“The choice of missile type and launch pad is what Iran wants to convey to the world about Israel's ability to reach various locations along the Syrian border,” Cole concluded.
What was the reaction to the Iran attack?
After an attack on their territory, Pakistan condemned what it said was “unprovoked violation of its airspace by Iran”. It is even more disturbing that this illegal act took place despite various channels of communication between Pakistan and Iran.
The relationship between the two countries is delicate, but cordial.
The attack happened on the same day that Pakistan's prime minister and Iran's foreign minister met in Davos, and the Iranian and Pakistani armies held joint military exercises in the Gulf.
However, both have accused each other of harboring militant groups that have carried out attacks on each other in their border areas for years.
In 2017, the Pakistani ministry said an Iranian drone was shot down because it was inside Pakistani territory, and in 2014 Iran's security forces crossed the border to pursue militants.
Security on both sides of this 900-km border has been a long-standing concern of both governments.
Tehran has linked Jaish al-Adl to attacks near the border last month that killed a dozen Iranian police officers.
At that time, Iran's Interior Minister Ahmad Vahidi said that terrorists had entered the country from Pakistan.
This Wednesday, China urged Pakistan and Iran to “avoid actions that could lead to escalation of tensions”.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Mao Ning added that Beijing views the two countries as “close neighbors”.
According to the US Office of the Director of National Intelligence, Jaish al-Adl is the “most active and influential” Sunni militant group operating in Sistan-Baluchistan.
*This article was produced in collaboration with Caroline Davies, BBC Pakistan Correspondent, Ziar Kol, BBC Persian Correspondent and Paul Adams, BBC Diplomatic Correspondent.
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