The United States and its allies in Pakistan are intensifying efforts to heighten tension between Iran and Pakistan after an Iranian cross-border attack on terrorist hideouts in Pakistan's volatile province, Balochistan, on Wednesday.

In a carefully strategized move to bring geopolitical instability to the region, the US and its allies are encouraging Pakistan to respond. Pakistan, without realizing the consequences, swiftly took action on Thursday, targeting seven militant sites within Iran's Sistan and Baluchistan Province, following Iran's violation of its airspace. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has released a statement regarding Pakistan's recent military operation, codenamed 'Marg Bar Sarmachar'. The operation involved precise and coordinated strikes that successfully eliminated several terrorists, according to the statement.

Amid the ongoing brutal killings in Gaza, the rivalry between the two neighboring Islamic countries, both of which possess nuclear capability, would only serve the interests of the United States and "Israel". Iran plays a crucial role in protecting the innocent residents of Gaza, while Pakistan strongly supports the Palestinian cause. Engaging them in war would only be advantageous for "Israel".

Why did Iran hit Pakistan's territory?

Tension has long existed along the 959-kilometer shared border between Pakistan and Iran, which is mostly located in the unrest-plagued region of Sistan-Balochistan. Allegations have been made that Pakistan supports and harbors extremist organizations. In this complicated environment, both countries are attempting to strike a balance between collaboration and antagonism.

Over the last several years, Jaish al-Adl's precision terrorist operations have cost Iran enormous losses in terms of both personnel and material goods. Tehran repeatedly complained to Pakistani officials, and the two countries even agreed on a border surveillance system with the Pakistan Army to keep an eye on any illegal activity occurring in the province of Balochistan on the Pakistan-Iran border.

However, the devastating attack on an Iranian police station in Sistan and Baluchistan in December, which claimed the lives of eleven Iranian security officers, demonstrated the futility of these tactics. Jaish al-Adl has claimed responsibility for the attack, which reinforced the Iranian apprehensions that the extremists may have planned and executed the strike from Pakistan. Iranian Interior Minister Ahmad Vahidi directly involved Pakistan, which could explain Iran's swift military action against the hideout of terror groups in Pakistani territory.

Was it an attack on Pakistan or an operation against terrorists?

The foreign ministers of Iran and Pakistan spoke over the phone on Wednesday after Iranian rockets struck territory in Pakistan. Iran's Foreign Minister acknowledged that Iran respects Pakistan's sovereignty but also mentioned that Jaish-al-Adl, a Pakistan-based anti-Iran terror outfit, has been attacking Iran from Pakistani soil.

Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, Iran's Foreign Minister, further disclosed during the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, that the recent air strikes in Pakistan, which resulted in the deaths of two children, were aimed at an "Iranian terrorist group."

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"Iranian missiles and drones did not specifically target any citizens of the friendly and cooperative nation of Pakistan. The Jaish-al-Adl group, known as an Iranian terrorist organization, was the focus of the attack.

Amir-Abdollahian stated that the assault on "Pakistan's territory" was a retaliatory measure against the organization's recent attack on the Iranian city of Rask in the southeastern region of Sistan and Baluchistan, as the group has sought refuge in several areas of Pakistan's Balochistan province. He emphasized that Iran has engaged in multiple discussions with Pakistani officials over this issue, and also stated that, although Iran acknowledges and values Pakistan's sovereignty and territorial integrity, it will not tolerate any compromise or manipulation of its national security.

Just hours after Iran launched a cross-border attack on Pakistan's terrorist den, Iranian Defense Minister Mohammad Reza Ashtiani said on January 17 that the Islamic Republic would "not set any limits" when it came to defending its national interests.

"We denounce terrorism wherever it is in the world. We will respond firmly to any action that infringes on the rights of the Iranian people; we will not impose any restrictions," Ashtiani informed reporters early on Wednesday.

"As a worldwide missile power....we have cruise and ballistic missiles, and we are trying to improve the level of technology in the missile field," emphasizing that it makes no difference to us when they try to threaten the Islamic Republic of Iran because we will respond appropriately, firmly, and decisively.

Pakistan reaction

Nine people were killed when Pakistan launched missile attacks into Iran on Thursday, after late-night strikes by Iran on Tuesday. Pakistan claimed that its airstrikes had destroyed "terrorist hideouts" in the Sistan and Baluchistan province of southeast Iran. According to Pakistan's Foreign Ministry, the country "fully respects" Iran's "sovereignty and territorial integrity" and the operations in the Iranian city of Saravan were carried out in response to "credible intelligence of impending large-scale terrorist activities."

In a startling move on the diplomatic front, Pakistan chose to recall its ambassador from Iran in response to Tuesday's incursion into its airspace and the attack inside its borders.

Foreign Office (FO) spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said in a statement released on Wednesday night that Islamabad has likewise halted all of its officials' visits to Iran. She said, "Pakistan has also requested that the Iranian ambassador in Islamabad, who is currently visiting his home country, not return."

However, on January 19, Pakistan's cabinet of ministers made the decision to end tensions with Iran and fully restore diplomatic relations with Tehran. Also, in a telephone conversation with Amir-Abdollahian on Friday afternoon, Pakistan's Foreign Minister stressed the significance of recognizing Pakistan's friendly relations with Iran.

How does Jaish al-Adl come to be known?

The militant Baluchi separatist group Jaish al-Adl (Army of Justice), is mostly active in southeast Iran, which shares a porous border with Pakistan. The terrorist group is present in Iran, but it also maintains safe havens in Pakistan's unstable province of Balochistan, where its members flee from Iran after carrying out terror attacks there. Pakistan and the United States, according to Iranian official media, were the group's main sponsors.

Members of the terrorist organization Jundallah, which had suffered as a result of Abdolmalek Rigi's capture and murder in Iran in 2010, founded the group in 2012. Iran, Japan, New Zealand, and the United States have all labeled Jaish al-Adl as a terrorist organization. The terrorist group declared its battle for more rights for the Baluch people and the independence of Sistan and Baluchistan Province.

Salahuddin Farooqui, the group's current leader, is a member of Ansar Al-Furqan, another armed Baluch organization that operates in Iran. Salahuddin Farooqui took over after his brother, Amir Naroui, was killed by the Taliban in Afghanistan. Jaish al-Adl has been against Iran's engagement in the war on Syria and has close ties with Kurdish separatist organizations in Iran.

Jaish al-Adl has claimed responsibility for multiple strikes on Iranian military personnel since its first significant attack in August 2012. Up to 150 Iranian soldiers lost their lives in various terrorist attacks between 2012 and December 2013, while many more died afterward as a result of the terror group's relentless killing spree.