In one of the deadliest attacks on Pakistani security forces this year, at least 16 soldiers were killed and more than two dozen people, including civilians and children, were injured in a suicide bombing targeting a military convoy on Saturday. The attack took place in North Waziristan, a volatile region in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province bordering Afghanistan.

According to local government sources and police officials, the bomber rammed an explosive-laden vehicle into the convoy. The powerful explosion caused widespread damage, including the collapse of nearby houses, injuring at least six children.

The suicide bombing was claimed by the Hafiz Gul Bahadur group, a faction of the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), also known as the Pakistani Taliban. The group’s suicide wing issued a statement taking responsibility for the attack.

Initially, 13 fatalities were reported, but the death toll was later confirmed to have risen to 16 by local authorities. The identities of the soldiers killed have not yet been disclosed, pending notification of their families.

Pakistan has seen a significant surge in terror attacks, particularly in its northwestern and southwestern provinces, since the Taliban’s return to power in Afghanistan in 2021. Islamabad has consistently accused the Afghan Taliban regime of allowing anti-Pakistan militant groups to operate freely from Afghan soil—an allegation the Taliban government denies.

The North Waziristan district has long been a hotspot for militancy and has witnessed numerous military operations by Pakistani forces in recent years. However, despite these efforts, incidents of terrorism continue to plague the region.

As per data compiled by AFP, around 290 people, mainly security personnel, have been killed in attacks carried out by insurgent groups in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan since the beginning of 2025.

The deadly blast has reignited calls for stronger border security and enhanced counter-terrorism intelligence. While no official response has been issued yet by Pakistan’s military or government, the attack underscores the growing threat posed by domestic militant factions with cross-border linkages.

The incident marks another grim chapter in Pakistan’s internal security challenges and is expected to heighten tensions between Islamabad and Kabul over militant sanctuaries near the border.

Pakistan is actively working to rebuild and upgrade terrorist launchpads and training camps destroyed by the Indian Army during Operation Sindoor in May, according to high-level intelligence inputs. The operation, carried out in response to the deadly Pahalgam terror attack, had targeted nine major terror sites linked to Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), and Hizbul Mujahideen across Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).

Sources indicate that the Pakistani Army, along with its intelligence agency ISI and other government agencies, is providing substantial funding to reconstruct the destroyed terror infrastructure. Reconstruction is underway in regions including Luni, Putwal, Taipu Post, Umranwali, Chaprar, and Forward Kahuta—areas now reportedly housing smaller, tech-enabled terror camps concealed within dense forest cover to avoid detection.

These camps are being outfitted with counter-surveillance tools designed to resist thermal imaging, radar penetration, and satellite monitoring. Intelligence also suggests the reactivation of at least 13 launchpads in PoK, including Kel, Shardi, Dudhniyal, Athmuqam, Leepa Valley, and Chakoti, as well as four launchpads along the International Border in the Jammu sector.

The ISI is said to be implementing a new tactic of splitting large terror camps into smaller units to reduce vulnerabilities and limit damage in the event of future Indian strikes. Each mini-camp is reportedly being guarded by Pakistani Army personnel equipped with thermal sensors, anti-drone tech, and low-frequency radar.

A recent high-level meeting in Bahawalpur, reportedly attended by senior commanders of JeM, LeT, Hizbul Mujahideen, and The Resistance Front (TRF), along with ISI officials, has reinforced Pakistan’s push toward reviving its proxy war infrastructure. TRF was responsible for the Pahalgam attack that killed 26 people in April 2025.

India is closely monitoring developments, and officials suggest that Islamabad’s renewed support for cross-border terrorism may trigger a strong response if provocations continue.

The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) reported the detection of a missile launched from Yemen aimed at southern Israel early Saturday morning. The projectile triggered sirens across parts of southern Israel, prompting swift military response measures. According to a statement issued by the IDF, the missile was “most likely successfully intercepted,” though further confirmation is pending.

The source of the missile has not been officially identified, but it comes amid a pattern of regional hostilities involving the Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen, who have previously threatened action against Israel and U.S. military assets. Since the outbreak of the Israel-Gaza conflict in October 2023, missile and drone attacks originating from Yemen have increased in frequency, often targeting Israeli territory and commercial vessels in the Red Sea.

This latest development follows weeks of heightened tension in the region, including U.S. airstrikes on Iranian nuclear sites and a short-lived military exchange between Israel and Iran. A ceasefire was declared on June 24, with both sides halting direct attacks after nearly two weeks of conflict. Former U.S. President Donald Trump, via a post on Truth Social, had indicated the truce was imminent just hours before the announcement.

Earlier this year, Houthi military spokesperson Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree warned that the group would strike U.S. ships in the Red Sea if America intervened on Israel’s behalf in its standoff with Iran. The Houthis have previously targeted maritime traffic in the strategic waterway, disrupting global trade routes and intensifying regional instability.

The IDF has not released further operational details about the interception but has assured citizens that defense systems are on high alert. Analysts believe the attempted missile strike may be a signal of lingering tensions in the wake of the recent ceasefire and ongoing hostilities involving non-state actors in the Middle East.