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For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emailsSign up to our free breaking news emailsPakistan has launched missiles into Iran, killing at least nine people, in retaliation for Iran airstrikes inside Pakistan earlier this week. The move has heightened fears of instability spreading across the Middle East in the wake of the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza.Pakistan had warned Tehran that there would be “serious consequences” for Tuesday’s attack, which it said had killed at least two children in western Pakistan.Multiple blasts were heard in Iran’s southeastern province of Sistan-Balochistan on Thursday, according to state news agency IRNA. Four children were said to be among the dead.Pakistan’s foreign ministry said it had conducted airstrikes targeting Baloch separatist groups inside Iran, such as the Balochistan Liberation Front and the associated Baloch Liberation Army. Several missiles hit a border village, officials in Tehran said.The victims – three women, four children and two men – were all non-Iranian citizens and were killed near the town of Saravan, according to Ali Reza Marhamati, a deputy governor of the province. Pakistan’s foreign ministry said it had conducted a series of “highly coordinated” strikes in the Sistan-Balochistan province. It said: “A number of terrorists were killed during the intelligence-based operation.”Pakistan’s military described using “killer drones, rockets, loitering munitions and stand-off weapons” in the attack. Stand-off weapons are missiles fired from aircraft at a distance.On Tuesday, Iran carried out missile strikes on targets in Pakistan, saying they had hit two bases connected to the militant group Jaish al-Adl.Pakistan’s foreign office said the attack was an “illegal act” and condemned the “unprovoked violation of its airspace by Iran” that it said had resulted in the deaths of two children and injured three girls. “This violation of Pakistan’s sovereignty is completely unacceptable and can have serious consequences,” a foreign office spokesperson said.Pakistan’s caretaker prime minister, Anwaar ul-Haq Kakar, cut short a trip to Davos to return to Pakistan, while acting foreign minister Jalil Abbas Jilani returned from a visit to Uganda.Iran strongly condemned the strikes and summoned Pakistan’s charge d’affaires to give an explanation. Pakistan had already withdrawn its ambassador over Tuesday’s attack.Mr Jilani “firmly underscored” in a telephone call with his Iranian counterpart, Hossein Amir Abdollahian, that Iran’s attack on Tuesday was not only a breach of sovereignty but also an “egregious violation of international law”.However, both sides appeared to signal a desire to keep the situation contained. Iran’s foreign ministry said on Thursday that it was committed to good neighbourly relations with Pakistan, but called on Islamabad to prevent the establishment of “terrorist bases” on its soil.Pakistan issued a similar statement, saying: “Pakistan fully respects the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Islamic Republic of Iran. The sole objective of today’s act was in pursuit of Pakistan’s own security and national interest, which is paramount and cannot be compromised.”In state media reports, which were later withdrawn without explanation, Iran said its paramilitary Revolutionary Guard had targeted bases used by the militant group Jaish al-Adl, or “Army of Justice”, in Pakistan on Tuesday. The group, which seeks an independent Balochistan and has spread across Afghanistan, Iran and Pakistan, acknowledged the missile strike in a statement shared online.Pakistan was the third country to be struck by Tehran this week after earlier attacks on targets in Iraq and Syria, in a move that has further escalated fears of a conflict spreading across the Middle East. The attacks were condemned by the United States, which accused Iran of violating the “sovereign borders of three of its neighbours in just the past couple of days”.Nations across the Middle East have been on edge since a Hamas attack inside Israel on 7 October that killed 1,200 people and saw more than 240 taken hostage. In response, Israel has vowed to eradicate Hamas and has launched airstrikes and ground operations inside Hamas-controlled Gaza, backed up by a blockade. Health officials in Gaza say more than 24,000 people have been killed in the three-month conflict.Hamas is backed by Iran, with Tehran also supporting Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Houthis in Yemen. Hezbollah has been engaging in near-daily exchanges of fire with Israeli forces on the Israel-Lebanon border, while the Houthis have been striking ships in the Red Sea, a vital route for global trade. The Houthis claim they are targeting Israel-bound ships, but have struck several US-owed vessels, sparking the creation of a multi-national force in the area, led by Washington, to protect shipping.The UK and the US have also struck several Houthi sites across Yemen with missiles to try to deter attacks. The latest US strikes took place place on Wednesday. Some 14 Houthi missiles, which the US says may have been intended for attacks on shipping in the Red Sea, were targeted by American forces.Israel’s president, Isaac Herzog, told the Davos conference that there was an “empire of evil” emanating from Iran, which must be tackled by a very strong coalition. Mr Herzog said billions of dollars were being spent to destabilise the world as Iran funded proxies around the region to undermine any peace process.China, a crucial partner for both countries, has urged restraint. Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson, Mao Ning said: “China sincerely hopes that both sides can exercise calm and restraint and avoid escalation of tension.”India has backed Iran in its strikes on Pakistan, calling them an act of self-defence. India’s foreign ministry said on Wednesday: “Insofar as India is concerned, we have an uncompromising position of zero tolerance towards terrorism. We understand actions that countries take in their self-defence.” More

Aerial footage shows moment RAF Typhoon strikes Yemen military targetFor free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emailsSign up to our free breaking news emailsPakistan 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.Show latest update
1705501819Mapped: 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.Tom Watling17 January 2024 14:301705500019Here 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.Tom Watling17 January 2024 14:001705498219Two Navy SEALs lost at sea were on mission targeting Houthi weapons shipment, says PentagonTwo 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.Tom Watling17 January 2024 13:301705495519US national security adviser says stopping Houthi Red Sea attacks is an ‘all hands on deck’ problemA 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.Tom Watling17 January 2024 12:451705492819Pope condemns Iran strike on Iraq, appeals against escalationPope 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. More

Aerial footage shows moment RAF Typhoon strikes Yemen military targetFor free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emailsSign up to our free breaking news emailsA vessel has reported being damaged by a missile as it sailed 95 miles southeast of Yemen’s port city of Aden.The UK Maritime Trade Operations says the master of the vessel claimed the boat was “hit from above by a missile”.It is unclear who is behind the strike but authorities have issued a warning to other boats in the Red Sea region.It came as a US fighter aircraft intercepted and destroyed an anti-ship cruise missile launched by Houthi rebels in Yemen towards the USS Laboon destroyer in the Red Sea, according to the US Central Command.The incident occurred off the coast of Hodeidah, a port city in the west of Yemen whose international airport was targeted in joint US-UK airstrikes last week.The UK joined the US-led operation in hitting more than 60 missile and drone targets in response to the group targeting ships in the Red Sea.But despite around 90 per cent of the targets being hit, two US officials warned on Sunday that the group retained about three-quarters of its ability to fire missiles and drones at vessels using the narrow strip of water.Lord Cameron warned that Britain could strike Houthi targets again if the rebel group continued to attack ships in the Red Sea.Show latest update
1705329089Breaking: Vessel ‘hit by missile from above’ – master saysA vessel has reported being struck by a missile on its side as it sailed 95 miles southeast of Yemen’s port city of Aden.The UKMTO says that the captain of a boat has claimed his vessel was “hit from above by a missile”.So far it is not clear who is behind the strike but authorities are investigating.Other vessels are being urged to proceed with caution and report any suspicious activity.Barney Davis15 January 2024 14:311705328204Sunak must tell us if he plans more strikes against Houthis, says StarmerRishi Sunak should say if it is proposing further action against Houthi rebels and “set out the case for doing so”, Sir Keir Starmer has said.The Labour leader said the merits of more military intervention would have to be considered on a “case-by-case” basis.Speaking to broadcasters on a visit to north London, Sir Keir said Labour supports the action against Houthi, and accepted that sometimes when “urgent operational issues” arise it is “not possible” to have a vote in parliament.Sir Keir drew a distinction between urgent “one-off” operations and a “sustained campaign”, which he said would “require more process in parliament”. More