Ten border guards killed in southeast Iran

Ten border guards were killed in an attack in southeast Iran on Saturday, state media reported the interior ministry as saying.

Iranian media said armed men attacked two patrols at Goharkooh base in Taftan, Sistan and Baluchestan province, which borders Afghanistan and Pakistan.

A report from the state-run IRNA described the attackers as “miscreants” but did not give further details.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack. 

Several armed groups operate in the province-Jaish al-Adl, a Sunni extremist separatist group, and Ansar al-Furqan, a Sunni extremist group, have claimed recent attacks in the province. 

On 30th September 2024, at least 3 policemen were killed in separate attacks across different cities of Iranian province of Sistan and Balochistan province. Jaish al-Adl claimed responsibility for the attacks.

On January 25, 2024, Ansar al-Furgan claimed that it fired small arms targeting a police station in Zahedan.

The violence comes hours after Iran was subject to bombardment by the Israeli military, striking several military sites in Tehran. Iranian authorities the strikes caused minimal material damage but killed two Iranian soldiers. 

The strikes are the latest escalation in the midst of regional tensions. Fears that Iran and the US would be drawn into a regional war have risen with Israel's intensifying assault on Lebanon since last month, including airstrikes on the Lebanese capital Beirut and a ground operation, as well as its year-old war in Gaza.

Non-state extremist groups have been known to take advantage of heightened security risk.