Iran launched airstrikes in Pakistan, allegedly targeting a Sunni militant group, meanwhile the US military evacuated the Hemo base near the town of Qamishli following repeated attacks by Islamic resistance groups in Iraq, signalling an escalation in the Middle East.
Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry reported that two children were killed and three injured in an “illegal” airstrike. To protest the “unprovoked violation of its airspace,” the ministry summoned Tehran’s senior diplomat to Islamabad.
Iran reported that the strikes targeted bases of the Sunni militant group Jaish al-Adl, but any mention of the attack disappeared rapidly in Iranian media.
The strikes in Pakistan came less than a day after Iranian missile strikes in Syria and Iraq, part of Tehran’s retaliation after the bombing in the city of Kerman at the memorial of commander Qasem Soleimani.
The Islamic State (IS) claimed responsibility for the attack. Iran’s strikes related to the Kerman attack do not appear to have a direct link to the Gaza war, but have taken place against the backdrop of an escalating conflict.
Attacks on Red Sea vessels by Houthis, acting in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza, have led the US and its allies to launch airstrikes on Houthi positions in Yemen.
Since the outbreak of the Gaza war, which was triggered by a Hamas attack on Israel, the Iranian-backed Hezbollah movement in Lebanon has also regularly launched missiles into northern Israel, with the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) retaliating in southern Lebanon.
Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian met with Pakistan’s interim Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar on Tuesday at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. Details of the meeting have not been released.
Meanwhile, the US military evacuated Hemo base near Hasakah city due to repeated attacks by Islamic resistance groups in Iraq, according to Arab media.
The Hemo base is crucial for the US as it is located 4 kilometres west of Qamishli airport. A special training camp of the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) is also located there.
The Iraqi Resistance claimed that the attacks on US bases in Iraq and the region came in response to the “massacres” carried out by Israeli forces in the Gaza Strip, as well as Washington’s support for Israel.
The Resistance also claimed responsibility for several strikes on vital Israeli targets in southern Palestine and the Golan Heights.
