Why did Iran attack Jaish al-Adl and should we expect open conflict with Pakistan?

Iran's missile attack on the Jaish al-Ad hideout in Pangur is linked to the close ties Pakistan's Sunni Salafi militants have with Israel's Mossad intelligence agency, an international relations expert said.

The comments by Anant Mishra of the University of South Wales' Center for Policing and International Security came hours after Pakistan reacted angrily to Iran's military action in Balochistan. Pakistan expelled Iran's ambassador, Pakistan's ambassador to Tehran recalled.

"Violations of Pakistan's sovereignty are unacceptable and could have serious consequences," the South Asia Ministry said in a statement on Wednesday.

Islamabad then expelled Iran's ambassador and summoned its representative in Tehran. "Pakistan has decided to recall Iran's ambassador, and Iran's ambassador to Pakistan, who is currently traveling to Iran, may not return for some time," said Pakistani Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch. A press conference was held in Islamabad.

It should be noted that Tehran launched attacks on its Muslim neighbors at the same time Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian met with Pakistan's interim Prime Minister Anwar ul-Haq Kakar at the World Economic Forum in Davos. In this context, Mishra believes that the Iranian missile attack on Jaysh al-Adl does not mean that Tehran is ready for an all-out war.

He focused a day earlier on Iran's actions against Israeli and American targets in Iraq and Syria. The militant group sided with Israel and supported the separatist movement in Sistan.

"I believe this is an isolated attack on a Pakistani terrorist group fighting with Iranian security forces to create an independent state in Iran's Sistan province in the Balochistan region on the border with Pakistan," Mishra said. This was reported by VoU on Wednesday.

"A common factor between the Iranian operation against Jaish al-Ad and the rocket attacks that took place a day earlier in Iraq and Syria is the terrorist group's close ties to the Israeli intelligence agency Mossad, formerly known as Jundallah. "The Jewish State Intelligence Service is providing support," the strategic affairs expert added. Meanwhile, Mishra said Pakistan was keeping Sunni Salafi groups like Jaish al-Adl alive for its benefit. After all, we must not forget that while Pakistan follows Sunni rituals and beliefs, Iran is a Shia-majority country.

History of Islamabad's call to terror

In addition, Pakistan has a history of supporting terrorist groups, as it is the country that hosted Osama bin Laden, and Islamabad has supported Sunni Islamic terrorism, including Iran, a geopolitical analyst said.

Mishra said the biggest message from Iran's attacks on Iraq, Syria, and Pakistan is that "we will strike where our interests are violated." Pakistan's military posture against Iran will change

Meanwhile, Mahir Ahmad Butt, an academic researcher at Global Defense Insight, a Pakistani think tank, dismissed criticism of the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) over Iran's actions.

The PAF was criticized by both Pakistani netizens and Indian social media users, some of whom described it as "incompetent" in protecting the country from such acts by foreign countries. "It would be wrong to say that the Pakistan Air Force has turned a blind eye to Iran's recent actions," Burt told VoU. "Iran's response was based on the threat level influenced by intelligence reports, border services, and diplomatic relations." India.

Historically, this resulted in minimal ground-based air defense coverage along the western border, as the risk of Iranian kinetic action was considered low. However, this may change due to recent developments.

How should India respond to these developments? Meanwhile, Mishra spoke about how India should react to these developments.

He noted that New Delhi has taken a variety of measures, from deploying warships to Arabia and the Red Sea to working with Iran to secure shipping routes for energy transfers. He doesn't think India has been significantly affected by the regional conflict, other than increased transport costs due to energy imports.

“The Houthis targeted us, but the Indian Navy carried out a rescue mission while the hostages were in the Arabian Sea. Therefore, we do not see this situation as a strategic loss for India as our navy is capable of handling any crisis that may arise at sea,” Mishra concluded.