Pakistani Army Placed on Extremely High Combat Readiness

The Pakistani Army has been placed on an "extremely high" state of combat readiness, according to Reuters. This decision was made against the backdrop of deteriorating relations with Iran.

"The armed forces of Pakistan are in an extremely high state of readiness," the agency reported. An anonymous representative of the security forces added that any "adventure" from the Iranian side would receive a strong response from Pakistan.

It is noteworthy that earlier reports indicated that Pakistan had retaliated against Iran. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), Iran's elite military unit, announced on January 16 that it had attacked the main stronghold of the terrorist group "Jaish al-Adl" with ballistic missiles and drones, located in Pakistan's Balochistan province near the Iran border. Pakistan has strongly condemned Iran's attack and on January 17 recalled its ambassador from Iran, stating that the Iranian ambassador also cannot continue his diplomatic mission in Islamabad for the time being.