Iran Jan. 17 carried out missile and drone strikes against targets of the Jaish al-Adl [7] militant group in Pakistan's Balochistan province. Pakistan called the assault, which resulted in the death of two children, an "unprovoked violation" of its airspace. The unprecedented strikes, attributed to the Revolutionary Guards, are seen as a response to the recent deadly suicide bombing [8] by the Islamic State in Iran. (Times of India [10]) Pakistan retaliated the next day with strikes on villages in Iran's Sistan & Baluchistan province, reportedly killing seven, including four children. (WION [11], CNN [12])
Pakistan code-named the retaliatory strikes Operation "Marg Bar Sarmachar," which translates from the Urdu as "Death to Insurgents," saying they targeted positions of the Balochistan Liberation Army [13]. The BLA, supposedly backed by Iran, has for years carried out a low-level insurgency [14] in Pakistan. (Al Jazeera [15], FirstPost [16])
