Pakistan’s foreign affairs ministry Tuesday condemned an Iranian airstrike inside the country that reportedly killed two children and injured three others, calling the strike an “unprovoked violation” of its airspace.

In its statement, Pakistan’s foreign ministry called Iran’s act “illegal” as it allegedly violated Pakistan’s territorial sovereignty. The ministry termed Iran’s actions “concerning” as they happened unilaterally “despite the existence of various channels of communication” between the two states. Moreover, the ministry added that Pakistan supports cooperative action against terrorism, but “unilateral acts are not in conformity with good neighbourly relations and can seriously undermine bilateral trust and confidence.”

Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency claimed that bases of the Jaish-al-Adl militant group in the border town of Panjgur in Balochistan were “specifically targeted and successfully demolished by a combination of missile and drone attacks.”  According to Tasnim, the strike was retaliation after an incident in December where “the notorious Jaish al-Adl (known in Iran as Jaish al-Dhulm) terrorist group stormed a police station in Sistan and Balouchestan province’s city of Rask, southeast of Iran, which resulted in the martyrdom of 11 Iranian Police forces.”

The attack in Pakistan’s territory on Tuesday came after Iran’s elite Revo­lutionary Guards attacked targets in Iraq and Syria with missiles. The Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) had also launched ballistic missiles against targets in Iraq’s northern city of Erbil. The IRGC said it had “identified locations in Syria where the commanders and the main elements of Daesh involved in the recent terrorist attacks in Iran were gathering,” as per the Tasnim news agency. It also stated the attacks had been carried out in response to the Israeli assassination of several commanders of the IRGC.

The IRGC is the Iranian state’s armed force charged with defending Iran’s government. It is separate from Iran’s conventional military force. 

Iran’s ambassador and permanent representative to the United Nations, Amir Saeid Iravani, has written letters to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and the Ambassador of France, who holds the rotating chairmanship of the Security Council, describing Iran’s intentions behind missile strikes on terrorists and their bases. He claimed that these attacks were in compliance with the charters of the United Nations and International Law and were in full compliance with Iran’s international obligations. Saeid Iravani also stated in the letter:

I wish to inform you that the Islamic Republic of Iran, as one of the main victims of terrorism, has, in the exercise of its inherent right of self-defense under international law and the Charter of the United Nations, undertaken anti-terrorist operations…The operations were necessary and proportionate, precisely targeting bases of terrorist groups and fully respecting Iran’s international obligations, especially international humanitarian law. … Furthermore, Iran reiterates its inherent rights, as recognized by international law, to safeguard its sovereignty, national security, and its citizens against any threats or attacks. This commitment reflects Iran’s resolve to protect its interests and maintain peace and security within its borders.