Who are Iran's and Pakistan's military strikes actually targeting?

[Your Old Comrade]

Pakistan has conducted overnight military attacks inside Iran, two days after Iran conducted strikes inside Pakistani territory. Islamabad says it targeted bases of separatist Balochi militants just across the border. Iranian media said at least nine people were killed. This comes after Iran carried out strikes just inside Pakistan on Tuesday, against what it called "terrorist targets". Pakistan's foreign ministry called its strikes in Iran an "intelligence-based operation" against terrorists, and added that Pakistan has “great respect for the Iranian people”.

[Your Old Comrade]

The strikes by Pakistan were also in retaliation to Iranian attacks just a day earlier on what Tehran claims is a terrorist group hideout inside Pakistan. The official targets of both attacks are militant or terrorist groups. But that is only part of the story. Pakistan has called its ambassador in Tehran home. A former Pakistani foreign minister said today that Pakistan had no choice but to answer Iran's show of force with a show of force of its own.

0:00 Iran and Pakistan's tit-for-tat airstrikes
3:18 Guido Steinberg, German Institute for International and Security Affairs