An Iranian Kheibershekan medium range ballistic missile is fired at militants in neighbouring states on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
Pakistan has launched retaliatory strikes against militants in Iran<\/a>, in an apparent response to attacks by Tehran two days ago targeting sites within Pakistan\u2019s borders belonging to a Sunni separatist militant group.<\/p>\n Pakistan had already condemned Tuesday\u2019s attacks, which killed and injured at least six people, as \u201cillegal\u201d and had warned Tehran of \u201cserious consequences\u201d. Pakistan also downgraded its diplomatic relations with Iran, recalling its ambassador from Tehran and expelled the Iranian envoy in Islamabad<\/p>\n A statement by Pakistan\u2019s foreign office early Thursday confirmed that Pakistan had undertaken \u201ca series of highly coordinated and specifically targeted precision military strikes against terrorist hideouts in Siestan-o-Baluchistan province of Iran. A number of terrorists were killed during the Intelligence-based operation \u2013 codenamed \u2018Marg Bar Sarmachar\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n The missile and drone strikes by Iran were in response to a suicide bombing carried out by Isis-K, the Afghan branch of Islamic State, which killed 85 Iranians in the south-eastern city of Kerman on 3 January. Iran had also carried out strikes against Syria, Iraq<\/a> and Kurdistan.<\/p>\n Iran has long accused Pakistan of allowing separatist terrorists to hide out in the border region of Balochistan, which was targeted in the strikes.<\/p>\n Pakistan\u2019s decision to respond with retaliatory strikes raises concern of further escalation of the tensions and violence that have been spreading across the Middle East and Asia since the 7 October attacks by Hamas and Israel\u2019s bombardment of Gaza.<\/p>\n