Iranian strikes in Pakistan further dashes peace hopes in Middle East

. The attack in Pakistan comes less than a day after Iranian missiles hit targets in Syria and Iraq.

On the heels of a decisive hearing at the International Court of Justice against Israel’s ongoing military campaign in Gaza, Iran, on January 16, launched airstrikes in Pakistan, apparently aimed at a Sunni militant group.

Pakistan said two children were killed and three people were wounded in the attack.

The attack, which involved missiles and drones, comes less than a day after Iranian missiles hit targets in Syria and Iraq, in what have been seen as reprisals in the wake of a double suicide bombing in the city of Kerman on January 3, which killed more than 80 Iranians.

Strike on Pakistan

Iran claimed it struck bases belonging to the Jaish al-Adl, a Sunni militant group in Pakistan, in a cross-border attack on January 16.

The missile attacks took place a day after Pakistan’s caretaker prime minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar met Iranian foreign minister H Amira-Abdaloahian on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum (WEF) at Davos.

Iranian state media reported that Tuesday was also the day Iranian and Pakistani navies held a one-day long military exercise at the Strait of Hormuz.

Pakistani reaction

Pakistan, condemning the attack summarily, said the attacks killed two children and wounded three people, and described it as an “unprovoked violation” of its airspace.

Pakistan also summoned the Iranian charge d'affaires to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to convey its 'strongest condemnation of this blatant violation' of its sovereignty.

Jan Achakzai, information minister of Pakistan's Balochistan province, which borders Iran, declined to confirm or deny the attack. "Wait for the response of the ISPR," he said, referring to the Pakistani military's public relations wing.

"It is even more concerning that this illegal act has taken place despite the existence of several channels of communication between Pakistan and Iran," Pakistan's foreign ministry said.

Also Read: Pakistan condemns Iran's 'violation of its airspace', warns such actions can have 'consequences'

Iranian version

According to reports in Iran’s state-aligned Tasnim news agency, Iran used “precision missiles and drone strikes,” to destroy two strongholds of the Sunni militant group Jaish al-Adl, known in Iran as Jaish al-Dhulm, in the Koh-e-Sabz area of Pakistan’s southwest Balochistan province.

Koh-e-Sabz, about 50 km from Pakistan’s border with Iran, is known to be the home of Jaish-ul-Adl’s former second-in-command Mullah Hashim, who was killed in clashes with Iranian forces in Sarawan, an Iranian region adjacent to Panjgur, in 2018.

What might have led to Iran’s action

Last month, Tehran accused Jaish al-Adl militants of storming a police station in the Iranian province of Sistan and Baluchistan, leading to the deaths of 11 Iranian police officers, according to Tasnim.

Jaish al-Adl, or the Army of Justice, is a separatist militant group that operates on both sides of the border and has previously claimed responsibility for attacks against Iranian targets. Its stated goal is the independence of Iran’s Sistan and Baluchistan province.

The militant group has previously mounted attacks on Iranian security forces in the border area with Pakistan.

Potential consequences for the Middle East

Iran’s attacks will further raise fears that Israel’s war in Gaza could widen into a full-scale war in the Middle East, with grave humanitarian, political and economic consequences.

The attacks in Iraq and Syria were condemned by the United States as “reckless” and imprecise, while the United Nations said, “security concerns must be addressed through dialogue, not strikes.”

Tehran's assertive posturing in Syria, Iraq and now Pakistan aligns with a broader pattern of projecting power and responding to perceived threats. This dynamic mirrors the fragile balance in the region, where geopolitical rivalries, internal strife, and the fight against militancy contribute to a volatile mix, susceptible to escalation.