Protesters and members of Iran’s paramilitary forces stand next to a fourth-generation Khorramshahr ballistic missile displayed during an anti-Israel demonstration in solidarity with Palestine, in Tehran, November 24, 2023.
January 18, 2024, 1.34pm WIB
Updated an hour ago
Pakistan launched a retaliatory attack on Iran, killing at least nine people, after Iran carried out attacks on Pakistan by launching missiles and drones on Tuesday (17/01). What’s behind this attack?
Pakistan said its strikes targeted “terrorist hideouts” in Iran’s Sistan-Baluchestan province.
Iran condemned the attack, which killed three women, two men and four children.
The retaliatory attack occurred against a backdrop of rising tensions in the Middle East and interconnected crises.
Israel is currently fighting with the Palestinian militia Hamas in Gaza and is responding to attacks with the Iranian-backed Hezbollah group in Lebanon.
While Iraqi- and Syrian-backed groups attack US troops, the US and UK are attacking the Iranian-backed Houthi group in Yemen
Previously, after attacking Iraq and Syria on Tuesday 16/01, Iran admitted to launching missiles and drones into West Pakistan.
Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said the operation targeted the Jaish al-Adli militant group, which he called an “Iranian terrorist group” in Pakistan.
Caption,
Iranian missiles, like those launched during a training exercise, have been launched in recent days against Pakistan, Iraq and Syria.
As a result, the Pakistani government withdrew its ambassador to Iran and prevented the return of Tehran’s envoy.
The Balochistan attack comes after Iran attacked targets in Iraq and Syria earlier this week.
Islamabad said the attack was “illegal” and warned of “serious consequences”.
But Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, speaking in Davos, confirmed that no Pakistani citizens were targeted, but only members of Jaish al-Adl.
“We only target Iranian terrorists on Pakistani territory,” Amir-Abdollahian said.
He added that he had spoken to his Pakistani counterpart and “assured him that we respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Pakistan and Iraq.”
What is the timeline of Iranian attacks?
The attack in Pakistan on Tuesday (16/01) hit the village of Sabz Koh in Balochistan province, about 45 km from the Iranian border and 90 km from the nearest town of Panjgur.
Local officials describe the region as a sparsely populated area that is home to Baloch cattle owners and smuggling of goods, drugs and weapons.
“Communities on both sides of the border perceive themselves as lacking basic needs, face discrimination and demand a greater share of their resources,” security analyst Zaigham Khan told the BBC.
The day before, Monday (15/01), Iran launched ballistic missiles against Kurdish-controlled Syria and northern Iraq.
Iran said it was targeting the Islamic State group and the Israeli spy agency Mossad, both of which were involved in the Kerman attack.
The attack in Iraq hit a building in the northern city of Irbil.
Four civilians were killed and six others wounded in the attack, local authorities said. The United States condemned the attack.
Iran then attacked Syria’s northwestern province of Idlib, which is the country’s last remaining opposition stronghold and hosts 2.9 million refugees.
Who is the Jaish al-Adl group?
Tehran said it was targeting the Jaish al-Adl, or “army of justice” group.
They are a Sunni Baloch Muslim ethnic group who have carried out attacks in Iran and also against Pakistani government forces.
Last December Jaish al-Adl attacked a police station in Rask, a town near the border with Pakistan.
In Iran, the Sunni Baloch Muslim minority complains of discrimination in the Shiite Muslim-majority country, while Baloch separatist groups continue their insurgency movement against the Pakistani government.
Caption,
Two armed soldiers from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) monitor an area while standing guard next to an anti-aircraft missile system during a military parade in Tehran, Iran.
This group has been designated a terrorist group by Washington and Tehran.
Pakistan security watchdog Aamir Rana told the BBC that the diplomatic crisis “will take a while to subside, but it is also something that Pakistan does not want to make worse.”
He said Pakistan had not reacted to Iran’s actions along the border in the past – “but now the decision is in Iran’s hands if Iran wants to do the right thing.”
How did the various countries react?
Iran’s attack on nuclear-armed Pakistan represents a dramatic escalation.
Pakistan expressed outrage, saying the attack occurred “despite the existence of several communication channels” between the countries.
On Wednesday (01/17), Islamabad said it had recalled its ambassador to Iran and that the Iranian ambassador would not be allowed to return to the country for the time being.
Pakistan and Iran have friendly relations. The attack occurred on the same day that the Pakistani prime minister and Iranian foreign minister met in Davos and as the Iranian and Pakistani navies held joint military exercises in the Gulf.
But both accuse each other of harboring militant groups that have been attacking each other in their border areas for years.
Security on both sides of the shared border, which stretches around 900 km, has long been a concern of both governments.
China on Wednesday urged Pakistan and Iran to “show restraint” and “avoid actions that could lead to an escalation of tensions.”
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Mao Ning added that Beijing views the countries as “close neighbors.”
What lies behind the Iranian attack network?
This latest airstrike comes at a time of growing tension in the Middle East, due to the war between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas in Gaza.
Tehran says it does not want to get involved in a wider conflict.
But the so-called “Axis of Resistance,” which includes Houthi militants in Yemen, Hezbollah in Lebanon and various groups in Syria and Iraq, has carried out attacks against Israel and its allies to show solidarity with the Palestinians.
The United States and the United Kingdom launched airstrikes against the Houthis after they attacked commercial ships.
Caption,
Observed by Tehran residents, protesters and members of Iran’s paramilitary forces line up next to a fourth-generation Khorramshahr ballistic missile displayed during an anti-Israel demonstration in solidarity with Palestine, in Tehran, November 24, 2023.
The Iranian attack also came two weeks after Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei promised a “tough response” to the bomb blast in the southern Iranian city of Kerman on January 3, which it killed 84 people and injured many more.
Thousands of people gathered in the city of Kerman to commemorate the death of General Qasem Soleimani, killed in Iraq by a US drone on January 3, 2020.
During his lifetime, General Soleimani led the elite Quds Force that carried out covert operations abroad for the Revolutionary Guards and reported directly to Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Several analysts suspect that Iran is taking revenge on those responsible for the January 3, 2024 bomb explosion.
At a time when regional tensions are rising, Iran is believed to want to show strength and show its people that acts of violence will not go unpunished.
