Pakistan’s foreign ministry said Pakistan carried out airstrikes inside Iran against separatist militants on Thursday, two days after Tehran announced it had struck bases of militants linked to Israel inside Pakistan. , reports Reuters.

Iranian media reported that several rockets hit a village in the Sistan-Baluchistan province bordering Pakistan, killing three women and four children, all non-Iranians.

“Several terrorists were killed in an intelligence-based operation,” the Pakistani ministry said in a statement, adding that it was “a series of highly coordinated precision military strikes specifically targeting terrorist hideouts.”

“Pakistan fully respects the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Islamic Republic of Iran. The sole purpose of today’s act was to ensure Pakistan’s own security and national interests, which are of paramount importance and cannot be compromised,” the statement said.

A Pakistani intelligence source told Reuters that the strikes were carried out by warplanes: “Our forces have struck Baloch militants in Iran.”

“The targeted militants belong to the BLF,” he added, referring to the Balochistan Liberation Front, which seeks independence for Pakistan’s Balochistan province.

On Tuesday, Iran said it had attacked the bases of militants linked to Israel in Pakistan. Pakistan said civilians were injured and two children were killed, warning of consequences for which Tehran would be held responsible.

Pakistan on Wednesday recalled its ambassador from Iran.

Pakistan and Iran have had a rocky relationship in the past, but the attacks are the most significant cross-border intrusion in recent years.

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