Pakistan's civil, military leaders to review Iran standoff -minister

The tit-for-tat strikes are the highest-profile cross-border intrusions in recent years, raising alarms for the rest of the Middle East.

 Pakistan Air Force (PAF) fighter jet F-16 performs to commemorate Pakistan Air Force's 'Operation Swift Retort', during an air show in Karachi, Pakistan February 27, 2020 (photo credit: Akhtar Soomro/Reuters)
Pakistan Air Force (PAF) fighter jet F-16 performs to commemorate Pakistan Air Force's 'Operation Swift Retort', during an air show in Karachi, Pakistan February 27, 2020
(photo credit: Akhtar Soomro/Reuters)

Pakistan's top civilian and military leaders will carry out a security review on Friday regarding the standoff with neighboring Iran, the information minister said, following their strikes on each other with drones and missiles.

Pakistan's Thursday strikes on separatist militants inside Iran were a retaliatory attack two days after Tehran said it struck the bases of another group within Pakistani territory.

Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar ul Haq Kakar will chair a meeting of the National Security Committee at which the review is to be done, with all the services chiefs in attendance.

It aims at a "broad national security review in the aftermath of the Iran-Pakistan incidents," the minister, Murtaza Solangi, told Reuters by telephone.

Rising tensions for Pakistan, Iran

The tit-for-tat strikes are the highest-profile cross-border intrusions in recent years and have raised alarm about wider instability in the Middle East since the war between Israel and Hamas erupted on Oct. 7.