Iraq and Pakistan issued angry statements about Iranian strikes in their respective countries and have recalled their ambassadors from Iran.
Iran fired missiles Monday into northern Iraq at an alleged Mossad headquarters, killing four civilians, according to local authorities. Iran then elected Tuesday to air strike Pakistan at alleged bases for terrorist group Jaish al-Adl, killing two children, The Associated Press (AP) reported. (RELATED: US Strikes Missile Sites In Houthi-Controlled Yemen)
Iraq denied that the area Iran destroyed had any relation to Mossad, Israel’s foreign intelligence agency. “We inspected on the ground, accompanied by members of the investigation committee, the home of the targeted businessman last night in Erbil, and it became clear that the allegations about targeting a Mossad headquarters were unfounded,” Iraqi National Adviser Qasim al-Araji tweeted in Arabic.
أطلعنا ميدانيا وبرفقة أعضاء اللجنة التحقيقية، على منزل رجل الأعمال المستهدف ليلة امس في أربيل، وتبين أن الإدعاءات التي تتحدث عن إستهداف مقر للموساد لا أساس لها من الصحة. نواصل الاجتماعات مع الأجهزة الأمنية في إلاقليم، وسنرفع التقرير للقائد العام المحترم
— قاسم الاعرجي (@qassimalaraji) January 16, 2024
Iran recalled their ambassador to Iran on Tuesday and “summoned” Iran’s Chargé d’affaires to hand him “a note of protest” that strongly condemned the attack, according to the Iraqi Foreign Ministry. Iraq then filed several complaints to the United Nations, stating “aggression is considered a blatant violation of Iraq’s sovereignty, territorial integrity, and the security of the Iraqi people,” Xinhua reported.
Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry likewise issued a statement Wednesday that condemned “the unprovoked violation of its airspace by Iran and the strike inside Pakistani territory which resulted in death of two innocent children while injuring three girls.” Pakistan warned that such “violation of Pakistan’s sovereignty is completely unacceptable and can have serious consequences.”
🔊: PR NO. 1️⃣5️⃣/2️⃣0️⃣2️⃣4️⃣
Pakistan’s Strong Condemnation of the Unprovoked Violation of its Air Space
🔗⬇️https://t.co/TAWRqC7qMy pic.twitter.com/oqi3tvAOso
— Spokesperson 🇵🇰 MoFA (@ForeignOfficePk) January 16, 2024
The Pakistani prime minister and Iran’s foreign minister met on the day of the attack, and the navies of the two countries were holding joint drills, BBC reported.
Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry also said, “several channels of communication between Pakistan and Iran” existed that made this “illegal act” much more concerning. An official protest had been given to the proper authorities in Iran itself, and Iran’s Charge d’affaires in Pakistan was also summoned over this affair, the foreign ministry added. Pakistan further recalled its ambassador of Iran, France 24 reported.
Tensions between Iran and Pakistan stem from them accusing each other of hosting terrorist organizations that commit attacks in the border area, BBC reported.