ISLAMABAD: The United States (US) condemned recent Iranian airstrikes in Pakistan, Iraq and Syria, the State Department said on Wednesday, hoping that Islamabad and Tehran would resolve the issue peacefully.
The statement came a day after Pakistan said Iran had violated its airspace and attacked a border village, killing two children and injured three women. The raid occurred late Tuesday after similar attacks in Iraq and Syria.
Iranian news agency Mehr News said the “missile and drone” attack targeted the Pakistan headquarters of Jaish Al-Adl, a group formed in 2012 and blacklisted by Iran as a “terrorist group.”
Speaking at a press briefing, US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller condemned the Iranian strikes and said Washington wanted to see peace and stability maintained in the region.
“We do condemn those strikes. We’ve seen Iran violate the sovereign borders of three of its neighbors in just the past couple days,” Miller told reporters in Washington.
“Certainly, we always want to see peace and stability maintained, especially in this region, where it’s been the focus of our diplomatic efforts since October 7th.”
Following the Iranian strike, Pakistan recalled its ambassador from Iran and blocked Tehran’s envoy from returning to Islamabad.
Mumtaz Zahra Baloch, a spokesperson for the Pakistani foreign ministry, called the attack near the country’s border “unprovoked” and a breach of Pakistan’s sovereignty.
Asked about possible retaliation by Pakistan, the US State Department spokesman said he hoped for a peaceful resolution of the issue.
In recent years, Jaish Al-Adl has carried out several attacks on Iranian soil.
Iran said the other missile attacks targeted “spy headquarters” and “terrorist” targets in Syria and Iraq’s autonomous Kurdistan region.
The strikes come as the Middle East has been rocked by Israel’s war on Gaza since Oct 7 and attacks by Yemen’s Houthi rebels on ships in the Red Sea.
“I think it is a little rich for at one – on one hand, Iran to be the leading funder of terrorism in the region, the leading funder of instability in the region; and on the other hand, claim that it needs to take this action – these actions to counter terrorism,” Miller added.
US condemns Iranian strikes on Pakistan, Iraq and Syria — State Department
https://arab.news/v6u33
US condemns Iranian strikes on Pakistan, Iraq and Syria — State Department
- Iran this week targeted alleged militant bases in Pakistan that Islamabad says killed two children, injured three women
- Tensions have since soared and Pakistan has recalled its ambassador from Iran, blocked Tehran’s envoy from returning
Pakistan, seven Muslim nations back Palestinian technocratic body, stress Gaza-West Bank unity
- The National Committee for the Administration of the Gaza Strip was announced on January 14
- Muslim nations call for consolidation of the ceasefire and unimpeded humanitarian aid into Gaza
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and seven other Muslim-majority countries on Thursday welcomed the formation of a temporary Palestinian technocratic body to administer Gaza, stressing that it must manage daily civilian affairs while preserving the institutional and territorial link between the Gaza Strip and the West Bank amid the ongoing peace efforts.
In a joint statement, the foreign ministers of Pakistan, Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Türkiye, Indonesia and the United Arab Emirates said the newly announced National Committee for the Administration of the Gaza Strip would play a central role during the second phase of a broader peace plan aimed at ending the war and paving the way for Palestinian self-governance.
“The Ministers emphasize the importance of the National Committee commencing its duties in managing the day-to-day affairs of the people of Gaza, while preserving the institutional and territorial link between the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, ensuring the unity of Gaza, and rejecting any attempts to divide it,” the statement said.
The committee, announced on Jan. 14, is a temporary transitional body established under United Nations Security Council Resolution 2803 and is to operate in coordination with the Palestinian Authority, the ministers said.
The statement said the move forms part of the second phase of US President Donald Trump’s Comprehensive Peace Plan for Gaza, which the ministers said they supported, praising Trump’s efforts to end the war, ensure the withdrawal of Israeli forces and prevent the annexation of the occupied West Bank.
The top leaders of all eight Muslim countries attended a meeting with Trump in New York last September, shortly before he unveiled the Gaza peace plan.
The ministers also called for the consolidation of the ceasefire, unimpeded humanitarian aid into Gaza, early recovery and reconstruction and the eventual return of the Palestinian Authority to administer the territory, leading to a just and sustainable peace based on UN resolutions and a two-state solution on pre-1967 lines with East Jerusalem as the Palestinian capital.
