Pakistani Defense Minister Khawaja Asif declared on Friday that Pakistan has run out of patience and is in "open war" with Afghanistan.
An Afghan attack on Thursday evening that destroyed Pakistani border posts and key installations has triggered a sharp escalation, with Pakistan launching retaliatory airstrikes early Friday on major Afghan military facilities, according to military sources.
Asif posted Friday on X that Pakistan's "cup of patience has overflowed" and is now in "open war" with Afghanistan. "Now it is open war between us and you. We are your neighbors; we know your ins and outs," he wrote.
Earlier in the morning of Friday, Pakistan launched airstrikes on Afghan Taliban facilities, destroying key targets including a major ammunition depot, three Afghan battalions, and a sector headquarters in different areas of Afghanistan.
Pakistan conducted the air strikes as part of the Operation Ghazab Lil Haq (The Wrath of Justice) which was launched after the Afghan Taliban started attacks on Pakistani posts.
Afghan government spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid confirmed the strikes on social media platform X, saying Pakistani forces had hit targets in Kabul, southern Kandahar, and eastern Paktia province.
He added that extensive retaliatory operations were carried out against Pakistani military positions in Kandahar and Helmand.
Pakistan declares "open war" with Afghanistan after cross-border strikes
Pakistan declares "open war" with Afghanistan after cross-border strikes
Pakistan declares "open war" with Afghanistan after cross-border strikes
Israel marked the somber third anniversary of the Oct. 7 Hamas attack that triggered the current round of conflict in Gaza, with national memorial events laying bare deep societal rifts across the country.
The divisions were evident in the anniversary commemorations, as many families of hostages and their supporters chose to skip government-organized ceremonies, arguing that the war had been prolonged for political gains.
"My family who lives in Israel would never go near a government ceremony, which is sad that even in grief we are so divided; the country is still so divided," said Julia, a Canadian visitor to Israel.
As government ministers took the stage in Jerusalem, the families chose to be elsewhere, including at "The Space Left Behind," an exhibition at the Peres Center in Tel Aviv showcasing personal belongings of those killed in the Oct. 7 attack and the war that followed.
"We are giving as much as we can to the families. I feel like the politics is coming between [us and] that exhibition, just because this is all for life," said Emek Keidar Juma'a, curator of "The Space Left Behind" exhibition.
"I have the feeling that I had when I went to Hostages Square. The support of the people in Israel, it's so exciting, and also here. And I see that people are reading and seeing Tal's item, and it's very exciting because they don't have to come. They choose to come in support," said Ela Haimi, a Gaza border resident, who lost her husband Tal in the October 7 attack.
The Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killed about 1,200 people and triggered a massive Israeli military campaign across Gaza that has killed, according to Gaza-based health authorities, more than 74,200 people. It subsequently expanded into fighting across the region.
Israel marks third anniversary of Oct. 7 attack amid deep societal divisions
