TEHRAN: Pakistan was accused of launching a missile attack on a border village in Iran’s southeast, resulting in the deaths of at least three women and four children early Thursday. The attack targeted a village near Saravan, on the border shared by the two countries.
Iran’s state media quoted Alireza Marhamati, the deputy provincial governor of Sistan-Baluchistan province, confirming the casualties and specifying that all victims were non-Iranian nationals. The missile strike occurred just two days after Iran conducted strikes on what it described as “terrorist” targets in Pakistan, responding to attacks by the jihadist group Jaish al-Adl in Iran’s southeast.
Iran’s IRNA news agency reported that nine people, including seven “non-Iranian nationals”, were killed in the strike targeting village near city of Saravan.
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Iran’s foreign minister, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, clarified that the strikes were aimed at an “Iranian terrorist group” in Pakistan and emphasized that no nationals of Pakistan were targeted. Tensions escalated between the two countries, with Pakistan denouncing the strikes, recalling its ambassador from Iran, and blocking Tehran’s envoy from returning to Islamabad.
Jaish al-Adl, formed in 2012 and labeled a “terrorist” organization by Iran, has been responsible for previous attacks in the region. The group claimed responsibility for an attack on a police station in Rask on January 10, resulting in the death of one officer. In December, a similar attack by the group claimed the lives of 11 police officers. The situation remains tense, with both nations facing diplomatic repercussions and increased regional instability.
