Conflict in Middle East escalates as Pakistan launches retaliatory missile strikes into Iran

Pakistan has launched airstrikes into Iran killing at least seven people in retaliation to strikes from Iran earlier this week

Pakistan’s air force launched retaliatory airstrikes on Iran early Thursday, allegedly targeting militant positions, an attack that killed at least seven people and further raised tensions between the neighbouring nations.

The strikes in Sistan and Baluchestan province follow Iran’s attack on Tuesday on Pakistani soil that killed two children in the southwestern Baluchistan province.

The strikes imperil diplomatic relations between the two neighbours, as Iran and nuclear-armed Pakistan have long regarded each other with suspicion over militant attacks.

The attacks also raised the threat of violence spreading in a Middle East unsettled by Israel’s war with Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

Iran also staged airstrikes late on Monday in Iraq and Syria over an Islamic State-claimed suicide bombing that killed over 90 people earlier this month. Iraq has recalled its ambassador from Iran for consultations.

Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry described their attack as “a series of highly coordinated and specifically targeted precision military strikes.”

“This morning’s action was taken in light of credible intelligence of impending large scale terrorist activities,” the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

“This action is a manifestation of Pakistan’s unflinching resolve to protect and defend its national security against all threats.”

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Several insurgent groups operate in Iran and Pakistan, including the Jaish al-Adl Sunni separatist group that was targeted by Tehran in its own strike. They all have a common goal of an independent Baluchistan for ethnic Baluch areas in Afghanistan, Iran and Pakistan.

Pakistan’s Baluchistan province, as well as Iran’s neighbouring Sistan and Baluchestan province, have faced a low-level insurgency by Baluch nationalists for more than two decades.

Thursday’s development came a day after Pakistan recalled its ambassador to Tehran because of Tuesday’s strikes by Iran inside Pakistan’s southwestern Baluchistan province.

Iran claimed it targeted bases for a militant Sunni separatist group.

It drew strong condemnation from Pakistan, which denounced the attack as a “blatant violation” of its airspace and said it killed two children.

Iranian state television, quoting an anonymous official after the strike, said Tehran strongly condemned the attack and “demanded an immediate explanation” from Pakistan.

Iran and Pakistan share a 900-kilometer (560-mile), largely lawless border in which smugglers and militants freely pass between the two nations.

The US has also unleashed a fourth volley of strikes against Houthis in Yemen this week.

Hours earlier, the Houthis struck a US-owned and operated vessel for the second time this week. 

Iranian diplomats have warned that escalating tensions in the region won't stop until the war in Gaza is over.

Israeli military chiefs are also warning that the chances of war along the border with Lebanon are "much higher" than in recent times.

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