Pakistan carries out lethal militia strikes on Iran

. >>> NEW THIS MORNING, IRAN IS DEMANDING ANSWERS AMID AN ESCALATING SPAT WITH PAKISTAN. OVERNIGHT, PAKISTAN LAUNCHED RETALIATORY STRIKES ON TARGETS IN SOUTHEASTERN IRAN, JUST ACROSS THEIR SHARED BORDER. PAKISTAN CLAIMS IT TOOK OUT A.

NUMBER OF MILITANTS, BUT IRAN SAYS MOSTLY WOMEN AND CHILDREN WERE KILLED. THIS IS COMING JUST A DAY AFTER IRAN SAID IT FIRED MISSILES AND DRONES AT MILITANT STRONGHOLDS INSIDE PAKISTAN. LOCAL OFFICIALS SAY TWO CHILDREN WERE KILLED THERE.

IVAN WATSON IS FOLLOWING ALL OF THESE DETAILS FOR US. THESE REALLY ARE — THIS IS AN EXTRAORDINARY MOMENT WITH PAKISTAN AND IRAN LAUNCHING STRIKES AGAINST EACH OTHER. WHAT DOES IT MEAN FOR THE REGION? >> Reporter: WELL, I THINK IT.

JUST UNDERSCORES HOW VOLATILE THE MIDDLE EAST AND CENTRAL ASIA ARE RIGHT NOW, BECAUSE EVEN 48 HOIRS AGO, YOU COULDN'T HAVE IMAGINED THESE TWO NEIGHBORS GETTING INTO THIS TIT FOR TAT DEADLY CROSS BORDER MISSILE STRIKE SITUATION. BECAUSE THE PRIME MINISTER OF.

PAKISTAN WAS MEETING WITH THE FOREIGN MINISTER OF IRAN IN DAVOS ON TUESDAY. THE TWO NAVIES, THEY WERE CONDUCTING JOINT NAVAL EXERCISES AT THE BEGINNING OF THIS WEEK. THEN OUT OF NOWHERE, THE IRANIANS FILED THESE MISSILES INTO PAKISTANI TERRITORY, SAYING.

THEY'RE HITTING MILITANTS WHO HAVE CARRIED OUT ATTACKS INSIDE IRAN IN THE PAST. AND IT TOTALLY SHOCKS THE PAKISTANI RULING ESTABLISHMENT, WHICH CALLS IT BASICALLY A DISRUPTION OF PAKISTAN'S SOVEREIGNTY, SAYS AT LEAST TWO CHILDREN WERE KILLED IN THE.

STRIKES. AND THERE ARE CALLS FOR RETALIATION. THAT'S WHAT A NUMBER OF HOURS AGO THE PAKISTANI MILITARY CLAIMED RESPONSIBILITY FOR, SAYING IT FIRED, QUOTE, KILLER DRONES, ROCKETS, LOITERING MUNITIONS AND STANDOFF WEAPONS.

INTO IRANIAN TERRITORY AFTER TARGETS THAT IT CLAIMED WERE ETHNIC SEPARATIST MILITANTS WHO THEY ACCUSE OF HAVING OPERATED ACROSS THIS VERY LONG AND POROUS BORDER. SO IT'S A MESSY SITUATION. THE PAKISTANIS SEEM TO BE LEAVING THE DOOR OPEN TO SOME.

KIND OF DE-ESCALATION RIGHT NOW. AND THE BALL DOES APPEAR TO BE IN IRAN'S COURT. THOUGH PAKISTAN HAS WITHDRAWN ITS AMBASSADOR FROM TEHRAN AND IT HAS SAID THAT IRAN'S AMBASSADOR TO THE PAKISTANI CAPITAL IS NOT REALLY WELCOME AT THIS TIME.

SO THIS REALLY IS A DIPLOMATIC CRISIS BETWEEN THESE TWO NEIGHBORS WHO BASICALLY DIDN'T HAVE ANY BEEF MORE THAN 48 HOURS AGO. >> YEAH, IT IS EXTREMELY TROUBLING AND EXTREMELY RARE. I DON'T KNOW THAT WE HAVE SEEN THIS IN OUR LIFETIMES.

AND THANK YOU FOR CLARIFYING THAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT CENTRAL ASIA AS WELL. A LOT OF PEOPLE THINK THAT PAKISTAN IS THE MIDDLE EAST. THANK YOU. APPRECIATE IT. >> JOHN, THIS MAKES ME REALLY FEARFUL OF A HUGE CONFLAGRATION.

>> A LOT GOING ON. THIS IS THE LOCATION OF THE PAKISTANI STRIKE INSIDE IRAN. YOU CAN SEE SOME OF THE AFTERMATH RIGHT THERE OF WHAT TOOK PLACE. THIS IS THE VIDEO. THIS IS THE PAKISTANI STRIKE INSIDE IRAN.

AND THEN THE IRANIAN STRIKE INSIDE PAKISTAN WAS ABOUT HERE. WITH US NOW TO DISCUSS IS RETIRED GENERAL PETER ZUWACK, SERVED AS U.S. SENIOR DEFENSE ATTACHE TO THE FEDERATION. PAKISTAN IS A POWER, IRAN ABOUT TO BE A NUCLEAR POWER. AN EXCHANGE OF FIRE BACK AND.

FORTH, WHAT'S THE U.S. INTEREST IN THIS? >> WELL, THE U.S. INTEREST IN THIS IS TREMENDOUS. OBVIOUSLY, WE WILL WATCH CLOSELY. OUR DIPLOMATS CERTAINLY ARE WORKING BEHIND THE SCENES. CERTAINLY, WITH PAKISTAN.

REMEMBER, PAKISTAN AND INDIA HAD A NEAR MISS POTENTIALLY NUCLEAR WISE IN 2019. BUT WHEN YOU LOOK, JOHN, AT THE WHOLE AGGREGATE OF THE MIDDLE EAST AND NOW CENTRAL ASIA, FROM THE MEDITERRANEAN ALL THE WAY TO IRAN, PAKISTAN, ALMOST THE AFGHAN BORDER, AND THEN STRIKES.

AND HITS IN BEIRUT, IN DAMASCUS. IN IRAN NEAR THE PAKISTANI BORDER, AND NOW YOU HAVE PAKISTAN AND IRAN. YEAH, THIS IS REALLY, REALLY DANGEROUS. NOT TO MENTION, YEMEN AND THE ONGOING HORROR IN GAZA. >> YOU TALKED ABOUT YEMEN.

LET'S TAKE A LOOK AT WHAT THE U.S. CONTINUES TO DO. THE U.S. CONTINUES TO TRY TO STRIKE HOUTHI TARGETS INSIDE YEMEN. THESE ARE JUST SOME OF THE LOCATIONS THAT HAVE BEEN HIT. FOUR ROUNDS OF ATTACKS NOW. THE U.S. CONTINUES TO SAY IT.

DOESN'T SEEK A WIDER CONFLICT, BUT FOUR ROUNDS OF ATTACKS, ISN'T IT ALREADY A WIDER CONFLICT? >> IT ALREADY IS A WIDER IF YOU WILL BUT ROUND OF CONFLICT, BUT WE CAN SEE THAT THE U.S. AND THE ALLIED POWERED TIERS ASSISTING THEM HAVE BEEN CAREFUL AND.

MEASURED IN WHAT THEY HIT. THEY'RE STILL GOING AFTER INSTALLATIONS. THEY'RE GOING AFTER THE ANTI-MISSILE LAUNCHING SITES AND DRONE LOCATIONS. SO IT'S BEEN MEASURED IN THAT WAY. YET THE HOUTHIS GO OUT, THEY.

HAVE HIT A COUPLE CONTAINER SHIPS RECENTLY, INCLUDING A U.S. FLAG ONE. AND I WORRY THAT A LOT OF — YOU HAVE A LOT OF STUFF FLYING IN THE AIR. SOMETHING EVENTUALLY HITS. AND WHAT HAPPENS WHEN ONE OF THOSE MISSILES HITS A U.S. OR.

COALITION SHIP OR ENTITY OR BASE AND PEOPLE ARE KILLED IN THIS LEVEL OF TENSION ALL AROUND THAT I HAVE DESCRIBED IN THE WHOLE MIDDLE EAST AND NOW CENTRAL ASIA. >> IT SOUNDS LIKE YOU'RE SAYING THE U.S. ATTACKS SO FAR HAVE NOT BEEN MUCH OF A DETERRENT ON THE.

HOUTHIS. >> IT SEEMS — WELL, THE HOUTHIS ARE HARD, THEY'RE STUBBORN. THEY WENT THROUGH A TOUGH WAR WITH THE SAUDIS AND UAE JUST TEN YEARS AGO AND FOUGHT TO A STANDSTILL. AND THEY'RE NOT GOING TO — THEY'RE NOT GOING TO RELENLT,.

AND IT LOOKS LIKE THEY'RE GETTING ENCOURAGEMENT FROM THEIR PARTNERS. IRAN COULD TELL THEM TO STOP, AND WHILE THE HOUTHIS HAVE THEIR OWN MIND, THEY PROBABLY WOULD SLOW DOWN. BUT THEY'RE NOT GETTING THAT GUIDANCE FROM IRAN AND OTHER.

NATIONS, BIGGER NATIONS. WHY DOESN'T RUSSIA PUT PRESSURE ON IRAN TO PUT PRESSURE ON THE HOUTHIS TO KNOCK IT OFF IF THEY REALLY, REALLY BELIEVE THERE SHOULD BE PEACE IN THE REGION? NO, THIS IS HARD. >> ONE POSSIBLE REASON FOR THAT IS CONFLICT IN THIS REGION HERE.

TAKES EYES OFF WHAT IS HAPPENING IN

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