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Photo caption,
After the Iranian missile attack, anti-Iranian demonstrations took place in many cities of Pakistan.
33 minutes ago
Pakistan launched missile attacks on areas of Iran in the southeastern province of Sistan and Baluchistan, where Islamabad said terrorists were hiding. Nine deaths were reported.
The Pakistani attack was a response to Iranian missile attacks on Pakistani territory carried out last Tuesday. On the same day, Iran also hit a number of targets in Iraq and Syria.
Pakistan Television reported that Thursday’s strike killed two men, three women and four children.
The exchange of missile strikes between Iran and Pakistan comes against the backdrop of overall rising tensions in the Middle East.
Israel continues its military operation against the Hamas group in the Gaza Strip and repels attacks on its northern borders from the Lebanese Hezbollah group.
Meanwhile, armed pro-Iranian groups in Iraq and Syria are attacking American troops stationed in these countries. And the United States and Great Britain are striking at the Yemeni Houthis, who, with the support of Iran, have paralyzed international trade routes in the Red Sea.
Iran and Pakistan have long accused each other of harboring radical groups that operate along the border between the two countries.
On Thursday, the Pakistani Foreign Ministry confirmed the shelling of Iranian territory. The ministry said that the country’s authorities acted on the basis of “reliable information about an impending large-scale terrorist operation” on Pakistani territory.”
At the same time, Islamabad emphasized that the strikes were targeted, aimed exclusively at terrorists, and the Pakistani authorities respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Iran.
Pakistani commanders said the strikes were carried out using drones and long-range missiles.
The targets were the Balochistan Liberation Army and the Balochistan Liberation Front, organizations that Pakistan considers terrorists. For decades they have been fighting for autonomy for Balochistan, a remote province in southwest Pakistan.
Counter attack
Iran has also attacked targets in Iraq and Syria this week.
Tehran’s statement said that the strikes were carried out on the hideouts of Islamic State militants (the organization is recognized as terrorist in Russia and other countries of the world and is banned), as well as on locations where, as Iran believes, agents of the Israeli intelligence service Mossad were located.
Tehran is convinced that the Mossad was involved in a powerful explosion in the Iranian city of Kerman in early January, which killed 84 people.
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According to analysts, Pakistan’s actions could have two opposite effects: a strike on Iran would either lead to an even greater escalation throughout the region or force Tehran to slow down its aggressive actions against its neighbors.
“Islamabad has a good opportunity to try to contain the situation when Iran is advancing throughout the region, launching direct attacks and using its agents of influence. If Pakistan had not responded, it would have faced the risk of further attacks,” said Michael Kugelman, head of the South Asia desk at the Wilson Center.
Many experts also believe that the Pakistani authorities were forced to respond to the Iranian attack on the eve of the elections that will be held in Pakistan in February.
“There is a lot of public pressure on the government. People demand decisive action, which has been done. The authorities needed to show that they were as good at saber-rattling as Iran, says retired Lt. Gen. Asif Yasin, Pakistan’s former defense minister.
In his opinion, the conflict will not go beyond this exchange of blows, and Pakistan and Iran may soon resume dialogue.
2024-01-18 13:06:27
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