Context: Iran launched missile and drone attacks in Iraq, Syria and Pakistan.
Why has Iran launched the strikes?
- Iranian security personnel were killed in Rask, a town closer to the Pakistan border, by Jaish al-Adl (the Army of Justice) militant group in December 2023. Iran carried out a surprise attack in Panjur, a border town in Pakistan’s Balochistan.
- Syria’s (Daesh terrorist group) suicide bombers struck crowds gathered near the tomb of the revered IRGC (Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps) general Qasem Soleimani in Kerman (city in Iran) in January 2024. In response, Iran launched ballistic missiles into Syria’s Idlib region.
- In Iraq, the IRGC claimed responsibility for targeting an alleged Israeli facility. Iran launched a missile strike into Erbil, resulting in the destruction of Mossad's (Israel's external security agency) spy headquarters in the Kurdistan region. The attack is purportedly a response to recent Israeli actions, including the assassination of Iranian and pro-Iranian commanders.
Key facts for Prelims:
- Jaish al-Adl, or the “Army of Justice”, is a Sunni militant group founded in 2012 that largely operates in Pakistan.
- Daesh (also known as ISIL, Islamic State, or ISIS) is a terrorist group operating in Syria.
- The Houthis, ‘Supporters of God', is a Shia Islamist political and military organization that emerged from Yemen in the 1990s and backed by Iran.
- Places in news: Erbil, Kurdish region, Kerman, Idlib.
