Iran launched a missile attack allegedly targeting militant bases in western Pakistan which killed two children, officials in the city said. The operation allegedly targeted the militant group Jaish al-Adli, a supposed terrorist group in Pakistan. Two days after the strikes on Pakistan, they launched their missiles into Iran which “killed several terrorists”, Pakistan said. In total, nine people were killed as a result of the strikes

Both countries are currently in a perpetual state of readiness, as at any moment, either country can send another missile. Officials guess that the Hamas attacks on October 7th didn’t actually cause the strike by Iran, but instead, Iran was “flexing its muscles”. The current Prime Minister of Turkey spoke to both Iran and Pakistan and stated that “Iran and Pakistan do not want to escalate further tensions.”

 Luckily, tensions are de-escalating and one official even said “But despite the wreckage, the civilian casualties, and some of the heated rhetoric, this still doesn’t feel like a real crisis.

Iran and Pakistan have complicated but cordial relations.

Their ministers met at Davos this week and their navies conducted joint exercises in the Strait of Hormuz and the Persian Gulf.

The two countries have similar concerns about the lawless border area, where drug smugglers and militant Baloch groups are very active.

After both sets of air strikes, each side seemed anxious to emphasize that these did not represent attacks on a brotherly neighbor.”  And on January 18, the scores were settled.