Iran vows revenge against Israel after embassy attack in Syria. Iran faces problem on south-eastern front with Pakistan. Iranian drones spotted over towns of Chabahar and Rask

On Thursday, the Iranian state media reported that at least 11 members of security forces were killed in an attack by Sunni Muslim outfit Jaish al-Adl in the south-eastern province of Sistan-Baluchistan.

Tensions are high in the Middle East after Iran vowed revenge against Israel following an attack on its embassy in Syria, which killed its senior commanders. Israel has started boosting its defences and halted leave for all combat units. Reports suggest that the US also warned Israel of an attack by Saturday, raising fears that the ongoing war in Gaza could spill over to the entire Middle East region.

However, as Iran reportedly prepares for military aggression against Israel, it faces another problem on its south-eastern front where it shares border with Pakistan.

On Thursday, the Iranian state media reported that at least 11 members of security forces were killed in an attack by Sunni Muslim outfit Jaish al-Adl in the south-eastern province of Sistan-Baluchistan. The attack comes months after Iran's drone and missile attack in Pakistan's Baluchistan province, where Jaish al-Adl has its base.

The Restive Sistan-Baluchistan

The Jaish al-Adl, a designated Sunni terrorist group by the US and Iran, has a long history of carrying out terrorist activities in south-eastern Iran. The terrorist group has mounted attacks in the restive Sistan-Baluchistan region, which has a predominantly Sunni Muslim population.

Jaish al-Adl says it seeks greater rights and better living conditions for ethnic minority Baluchis in Shi'ite-dominated Iran.

The area, which borders Afghanistan and Pakistan, has long witnessed clashes between Iranian security forces and Sunni militants as well as drug traffickers.

Significant Activity by Helicopters and Drones of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has been noted over the Sistan and Baluchestan Province of South-Eastern Iran as Fighting continues. pic.twitter.com/b11kiSROug — OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) April 4, 2024

On Thursday, video clips on social media showed Iranian drones hovering over the towns of Chabahar and Rask where the clashes took place.

In December last year, Jaish al-Adl attacked a police station in Rask, killing 11 security personnel.

In January this year, Iran targeted two bases of the militant group in Pakistan with missiles, prompting a rapid military retaliation from Islamabad targeting what it said were separatist militants in Iran.

However, after Thursday's attack in Chabahar and Rask, Pakistan issued a statement "unequivocally condemning the heinous and dastardly terrorist attack".

"We extend our heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims and pray for the recovery of the injured. Pakistan stands in full solidarity with the people and the Government of Iran in fighting terrorism," a statement by Pakistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs read.

Iran Seeks Revenge

On Monday, two of Iran's generals and five military advisers were killed in an airstrike on an Iranian diplomatic compound in the Syrian capital Damascus.

Brigadier General Mohammad Reza Zahedi of the Quds Force, one of the five branches of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), was killed in the airstrike. Hamas's military wing, the Qassam brigades, had credited Zahedi for being instrumental in the October 7 Hamas invasion in southern Israel even as Iran denied any role in the terrorist attack.

While Israel neither confirmed nor denied the attack, Pentagon spokeswoman Sabrina Singh said on Tuesday that the US has assessed Israel was responsible.

Iran, which does not possess the military might to take on Israel, could possibly rely on its proxies to attack the Jewish nation. Earlier today, Islamic Resistance in Iraq, which is reportedly backed by Iran, attacked a key Israeli airbase in the city of Ashdod, 32 kms south of Tel Aviv.

Hezbollah, a Lebanese terror group backed by Iran, has also been engaged in the Gaza war, intermittently attacking Israeli forces on the northern front.