Tehran’s top diplomat said on Wednesday his country’s armed forces targeted an “Iranian terrorist group” in Pakistan, a day after Islamabad said two children were killed in the attack.

“No citizen of Pakistan, a friendly and brotherly country, was targeted by Iranian missiles and drones,” Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdullahian said on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.

“The so-called Jaish al-Adl group, which is an Iranian terrorist group, was targeted,” he said.

The raid came late Tuesday as Tehran launched strikes against “anti-Iranian terrorist groups” in Iraq and Syria.

Read more: Pakistan to recall ambassador from Iran after airspace violation: FO

Pakistan condemned the attack near the countries’ shared border, recalled its ambassador from Iran and barred Tehran’s envoy from returning to Islamabad.

“This illegal act is completely unacceptable and has no justification whatsoever. Pakistan has the right to respond to this illegal act and responsibility for the consequences rests entirely with Iran,” FO spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said in a brief statement. Will happen.”

The spokesperson also said that Islamabad will suspend all high-level diplomatic exchanges with Tehran following the violation of the country’s sovereignty and added that the Iranian envoy to Pakistan, who is currently visiting Iran, will be expelled from the country. Will not be allowed to return.

“We have conveyed this message to the government of Iran. We have also informed them that Pakistan has decided to recall its ambassador from Iran and the Iranian ambassador to Pakistan, who is currently visiting Iran, cannot return for the time being.

However, Tuesday’s strike was a big surprise as Tehran chose this option despite channels of communication existing between the two countries.

Hours before the strike, caretaker Prime Minister Anwarul Haq Kakar met with Amir-Abdullahian on the sidelines of the Davos Forum.

Amir-Abdullahian said Iran’s attack on “Pakistani soil” was a response to recent deadly attacks by the Jaish al-Adl group on the Islamic Republic of Iran, specifically the city of Rusk in Sistan-Baluchestan province.

Read: China urges Iran, Pakistan to ‘exercise restraint’ after deadly airstrike

On January 10, a policeman was killed in an attack on a police station in the city, about a month after 11 police officers were killed in a similar attack in the area. Responsibility for both attacks was claimed by Jaish al-Adl (Army of Justice).

“The group has taken refuge in parts of Pakistan’s Balochistan province,” Amir-Abdullahian said. “We have spoken to Pakistani authorities several times on this matter,” he said.

The foreign minister said Iran respects Pakistan’s sovereignty and territorial integrity but “will not allow the country’s national security to be compromised or compromised”.