Iran demonstrates missile capabilities with regional strikes
With its strikes on Iraqi, Syrian and Pakistani territory, Iran's Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) is showing it has become a major regional military power.
The IRGC openly states that US bases in the Middle East, as well as Israeli bases in Tel Aviv and Haifa, are within range of its ballistic missiles.
In the space of only 24 hours, it gave a stark demonstration of its capabilities, launching missiles and drones at targets in three different countries.
On Tuesday evening the IRGC attacked two targets inside neighbouring Pakistan, with media close to the force reporting that the strikes destroyed two bases of the militant group Jaish al-Adl in retaliation for the killing of Iranian border guards in recent weeks.
Jaish al-Adl, a Sunni group that says it is fighting for the rights of ethnic Baloch people in south-eastern Iran, said two houses where the families of its members were living were hit.
Pakistan called the strikes "completely unacceptable", saying they resulted in the death of two children, and warned of "serious consequences".
There was similar condemnation from Iraq, Iran's western neighbour, after the IRGC launched 11 ballistic missiles at Irbil, the capital of the semi-autonomous Kurdistan Region.
At least four civilians were killed, according to the regional government, whose Prime Minister Masrour Barzani called the attack a "crime against the Kurdish people".
Fars news agency, which is close to the IRGC, claimed that "headquarters" of Israel's Mossad spy agency were destroyed in the strikes. The Kurdistan Region Security Council said it categorically rejected the "unfounded pretext", while Israel remained silent.
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