Pakistan’s Air Force has launched retaliatory airstrikes on Iran as tension continues to escalate across the region. Nine people were reportedly killed in Iran, including three women and four children. Pakistan said the strikes targeted separatist militants based near the Iran-Pakistan border. The attack came a day after Iran bombed members of the Sunni militant group Jaish al-Adl in the Pakistani province of Balochistan. On Wednesday, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian acknowledged Iran had carried out recent bombings in both Pakistan and Iraq.

Hossein Amir-Abdollahian: “Our focus is on the Iranian terrorists on Pakistani soil. Before this conversation, I discussed with my colleague, the foreign minister of Pakistan, that we respect the integrity of Pakistan, we respect the integrity of Iraq, but we will not allow them to play with the security of our country.”