Amid worrying escalation of tension in the Middle East after Pakistan and Iran attacked each other's “terrorists hideouts”, a footage has surfaced on social media that shows a Pakistani missile being fired towards Iran from its soil.
In the video posted on X (formerly known as Twitter) by a Pakistani journalist, a missile can be seen roaring towards Iran allegedly to hit a terrorist hideout in its territory. The video is now going viral on social media. However, The Free Press Journal cannot verify the authenticity of the video.
Watch the video here:
Pakistan’s military, on Thursday, carried out targeted strikes against militant hideouts in Iran responding to an attack by Tehran a day earlier in a rare escalation of tensions that both sides signaled they don’t want to see get worse.
Thursday's attack by Pakistan took place at 9:05 am IST (0335 GMT) and targeted Iranian border village, Ali Reza Marhamati, the deputy governor general of Sistan-Baluchestan province in southeast of Iran, told IRNA.
Pakistan claims to have killed a number of terrorists
Pakistan said that it has launched "highly coordinated" missile strikes into Iran and that "a number of terrorists were killed during the intelligence-based operation," codenamed "Marg Bar Sarmachar".
Pakistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) in a statement described their attack as "a series of highly coordinated and specifically targeted precision military strikes" against terrorist hideouts.
"A number of terrorists were killed during the intelligence-based operation codenamed "Marg Bar Sarmachar," it said. Tehran said it used "precision missile and drone strikes," to destroy two "important headquarters" of Jaish al-Adl (Army of Justice) in Pakistan.
Seven, including four children killed
As per reports, at least seven people, including four children, were killed in air strikes by Pakistan into Iranian territory on Thursday.
Islamabad's military action comes after a missile attack by Tehran targetting an "Iranian terrorist group" killed two children in the southwestern Balochistan province in Pakistan.
Iran's Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahain said the air attacks on Pakistan targeted "Iranian terrorist group" Jaish al-Adl and that his country had asked Pakistan several times to take action on the group.
"Completely unacceptable": Pakistan
Pakistan denounced the violation of Pakistan's sovereignty as "completely unacceptable" and on Wednesday expelled Iranian ambassador and recalled its envoy to Iran.
"Pakistan has decided to recall its ambassador from Iran and that the Iranian Ambassador to Pakistan who is currently visiting Iran may not return for the time being," Foreign Office spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said while addressing a press briefing in Islamabad yesterday.
Pakistan's caretaker Foreign Minister, Jalil Abbas Jilani in a phone call with his Iranian counterpart Hossein Amir Abdollahian underscored that the January 16 attack conducted by Iran inside Pakistani territory was not only a serious breach of Pakistan's sovereignty but was also an egregious violation of international law and the spirit of bilateral relations between the two countries.
Expressing Pakistan's unreserved condemnation of the attack, Jilani added that the incident has caused serious damage to bilateral ties between Pakistan and Iran.
(With inputs from agency)
