In Al-Rayyan, QATAR: A moment of silence preceded the Asian Cup match between Iran and the Palestinian soccer team.
Shouts of “free Palestine” echoed in the stadium, while chants of “death to Israel” emerged during the game.
As the Israel-Hamas conflict marked its 100th day, both teams gathered at Education City Stadium for a moment of silence, honoring lives lost in the ongoing Palestinian situation.
Pro-Palestinian chants followed, with Iranian supporters leading “death to Israel” and “Palestine, Palestine” chants during the first half. Palestinian players, facing challenges in their tournament preparations, stood united, linking arms during their national anthem.
Despite the charged atmosphere, Iran secured a 4-1 victory with early goals by Karim Ansarifard and Shoja Khalilzadeh.
Meanwhile, Iran launched attacks in Pakistan on Tuesday, targeting what it labeled as bases for the militant group Jaish al–Adl in the border town of Panjgur in Balochistan, as reported by Iranian state media. This action prompted a strong condemnation from Islamabad.
According to Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency, “Two key strongholds of the Jaysh al-Dhulm (Jaish al-Adl) terrorist group in Pakistan” were “specifically targeted and successfully demolished by a combination of missile and drone attacks.”
Jaish al-Adl has previously carried out attacks on Iranian security forces in the border region with Pakistan. The incident in Balochistan occurred a day after Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guards targeted locations in Iraq and Syria with missiles.
Pakistan strongly denounced the unprovoked violation of its airspace by Iran. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that the strike inside Pakistani territory resulted in the death of two children and the injury of three girls.
The ministry expressed that “This violation of Pakistan’s sovereignty is completely unacceptable and can have serious consequences.” However, the statement did not specify the location of the attacks.
Tasnim reported that the “focal point of this operation was the region known as Kouh-Sabz (green mountain)” in Balochistan. Local authorities acknowledged receiving information about the attack but lacked further details at the time of reporting. Initial reports from the area suggested that a missile hit a mosque, causing partial damage and injuries.
I am an experienced writer, analyst, and author. My exposure in English journalism spans more than 28 years. In the past, I have been working with daily The Muslim (Lahore Bureau), daily Business Recorder (Lahore/Islamabad Bureaus), Daily Times, Islamabad, daily The Nation (Lahore and Karachi). With daily The Nation, I have served as Resident Editor, Karachi. Since 2009, I have been working as a Freelance Writer/Editor for American organizations.
