Aerial footage shows moment RAF Typhoon strikes Yemen military target
Pakistan has vowed to respond to neighboring Iran after they hit a civilian region across the border in an unannounced attack.
Iran launched airstrikes on Tuesday that Tehran claimed targeted bases for a militant Sunni separatist group.
In state media reports, which were later withdrawn without explanation, Iran said its paramilitary Revolutionary Guard targeted bases for the militant group Jaish al-Adl, or the “Army of Justice”. The group, which seeks an independent Baluchistan and has spread across Afghanistan, Iran and Pakistan, acknowledged the assault in a statement shared online.
Islamabad, which has frosty relationships with Tehran, angrily denounced the attack as a “blatant violation” of its airspace and said it killed two children.
Jan Achakzai, a spokesperson for the Baluchistan province, where the strike hit, also condemned the attack, and vowed to react.
“Pakistan has always sought cooperation from all the countries of the region — including Iran — to combat terrorism,” he said. “This is unacceptable and Pakistan has a right to respond to any aggression committed against its sovereignty.”
The attack threatens to escalate tensions in a region that has become increasingly unstable after Hamas attacked Israel on 7 October.
Mapped: How the US and UK attacks on Houthi rebels took place and what weapons were used?
Huge explosions were seen in Yemeni cities including Sana’a and Hodeidah in the early hours of 12 January, with the US military saying 60 strikes were launched against 16 sites linked to the Houthis’ military operations.
Below, The Independent looks at how the attacks unfolded and what weapons were used in the strikes.
Here are some more details on the Iran strikes on Pakistan
Officials in Pakistan‘s southwestern province of Balochistan, which borders Iran, have said that four missiles had hit the Panjgur district close to the Iranian border on Tuesday.
“Four missiles were fired in the village of Koh-i-Sabaz which is around 50 km inside Pakistan soil,” a senior official of the Panjgur administration told Reuters.
“A mosque and three houses were damaged in the attack,” another official said, adding that two young girls had been killed and three other family members injured.
Two Navy SEALs lost at sea were on mission targeting Houthi weapons shipment, says Pentagon
Two US Navy SEALs were lost at sea on a mission targeting Iranian weapons deliveries to Houthis in Yemen, the Pentagon said on Tuesday.
The night-time mission ended with the seizure of a small sailing boat that was transporting “advanced lethal aid” to the Yemeni rebel group as part of its “campaign of attacks against international merchant shipping,” the Pentagon said in a statement.
The SEALs had been reported missing in the days following the mission, which took place on 11 January off the coast of Somalia, but its purpose had not been revealed. The two SEALs were still lost at sea as of Tuesday morning.
US national security adviser says stopping Houthi Red Sea attacks is an ‘all hands on deck’ problem
A senior White House official said Tuesday that addressing the ongoing threat by Yemen’s Houthi rebels on commercial vessels in the Red Sea is an “all hands on deck” problem that the U.S. and allies must address together to minimize impact on the global economy.
“How long this goes on and how bad it gets comes down not just to the decisions of the countries in the coalition that took strikes last week,” White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said during an appearance at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
Pope condemns Iran strike on Iraq, appeals against escalation
Pope Francis has condemned the Iranian missile attack on the Kurdistan region in northern Iraq, and urged all parties to avoid an escalation of conflicts in the Middle East.
The strike has deepened worries about worsening instability across the Middle East since the war between Israel and Hamas broke out on Oct. 7, with Iran’s allies also entering the fray from Lebanon, Syria, Iraq and Yemen.
“I express my closeness and solidarity with the victims, all civilians, of the missile attack that hit an urban area of Erbil, the capital of the autonomous region of Iraqi Kurdistan,” Francis said during his weekly audience at the Vatican.
“Good relations between neighbours are not built with similar actions, but with dialogue and collaboration. I ask everyone to avoid any step that fuels tension in the Middle East and other war scenarios,” he added.
Francis called for prayers for the “many victims of war”, mentioning specifically Ukraine, Gaza and other Palestinian territory, and Israel.
Pope Francis has condemned the Iranian missile attack on the Kurdistan region in northern Iraq
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Pope Francis has condemned the Iranian missile attack on the Kurdistan region in northern Iraq
Pakistan recalls ambassador from Iran, bars Iranian envoy from returning to post
Pakistan has recalled its ambassador from Iran and the Iranian ambassador to Pakistan who is visiting Iran will not be allowed to come back, Pakistan‘s foreign ministry spokesperson has said.
Pakistan says ‘illegal’ Iranian missile attack on its soil killed two children
Pakistan has accusedIran of an “illegal” airstrike on its soil, saying an Iranian missile strike on Balochistan on Tuesday killed two children and injured others.
Iranian state media confirmed missile strikes were carried out on targets in Pakistan, saying they hit two bases connected to the militant group Jaish al-Adl.
In a strongly-worded statement, Pakistan’s foreign office said the attack was an “illegal act” that could have “serious consequences”.
“Pakistan strongly condemns the unprovoked violation of its airspace by Iran and the strike inside Pakistani territory which resulted in the death of two innocent children while injuring three girls.
“This violation of Pakistan’s sovereignty is completely unacceptable and can have serious consequences,” Pakistan’s foreign office spokesperson said in the early hours of Wednesday.
Mapped: Iran launches strikes targeting Syria, Iraq and Pakistan
Iran has launched strikes against several of its neighbours this week, inlcuding Syria, Iraq and Pakistan, as it claims it is targeting terrorist positions in retaliation to attacks on its own territory.
The attacks have drawn international condemnation, inlcuding from the US and the Pope. You can read more about the strikes here.
Below is a map detailing the locations of the strikes.
US launches new airstrikes against Houthis in Yemen targeting ‘anti-ship missiles’
The US military carried out further airstrikes against Houthi rebels in Yemen on Tuesday, targeting what it characterised as anti-ship ballistic missiles.
The action followed dozens of strikes against the Iran-backed rebels across Yemen in recent days as the US and UK seek to halt attacks by the group on cargo ships in the Red Sea, which were launched in response to Israel’s war in Gaza.
Two US officials told Reuters that Tuesday’s strikes were targeted at four anti-ship missiles.
US to relist Yemen’s Houthis as specially designated global terrorists
The Biden administration is expected to soon announce plans to redesignate Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen as specially designated global terrorists, according to two people familiar with the White House decision and a US official. The move comes as the Houthis have launched dozens of attacks on commercial vessels in the Red Sea. The group says it has attacked the ships in response to Israel’s military operations in Gaza in the aftermath of Hamas’ 7 October attack on Israel. The three people familiar with the decision were not authorized to comment and requested anonymity to discuss the matter ahead of the expected formal announcement. Secretary of State Antony Blinken delisted the Houthis as both a foreign terrorist organization and as specially designated global terrorists in February 2021 as the administration sought to make it easier to get food imports and humanitarian aid into Yemen. In its waning days, the Trump administration designated the Houthis a foreign terrorist organization over the strong objections of human rights and humanitarian aid groups. The foreign terrorist designation barred Americans and people and organizations subject to US jurisdiction from providing “material support” to the Houthis, which the groups said would result in an even greater humanitarian catastrophe than what was already happening in Yemen.
Houthi fighters and tribesmen stage a rally against the US and the UK strikes on Houthi-run military sites near Sanaa, Yemen
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Houthi fighters and tribesmen stage a rally against the US and the UK strikes on Houthi-run military sites near Sanaa, Yemen
