India launched a series of retaliatory attacks early on Saturday morning against major cities and military installations in Pakistan, defence sources informed CNN-News18. The operation targeted Islamabad, Lahore, and Rawalpindi, as well as three key air bases.
Inhabitants of Pakistan heard several blasts—two in Rawalpindi and one each in Lahore and Islamabad. The attacked military installations were Nur Khan Airbase in Rawalpindi, Rafiqi Airbase in Shorkot (Punjab), and Murid Airbase in Punjab's Chakwal district.
Lieutenant General Ahmad Sharif Chaudhry, the Director General of Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), admitted that both Nur Khan and Rafiqi airbases were under Indian attack. Nevertheless, he declared that "all Pakistani Air Force (PAF) assets are safe."
Sources in Pakistan reported that the attacks did not inflict casualty or substantial infrastructure damage.
Indian defence authorities indicated that the strikes were carried out using a mix of air-to-surface missiles and drones. They further claimed that the attack greatly affected Pakistan's air capacity, destroying major assets.
The attacks came after a huge spike on Friday when Pakistan reportedly conducted drone attacks across 26 Indian locations. Indian troops also intercepted six Pakistani ballistic missiles, sources discovered. According to senior Indian officials, the attacks were retaliatory in nature, in response to relentless provocation against not only military outpost zones but even civilian zones as well.
Terror dens were targeted for the crime committed by terror groups by killing innocent Indians. We did not target Pakistan military bases or civilian areas. Pakistan's activities since yesterday were criminal activities. They tried several attacks on Indian army bases. They even attacked Indian civilian areas. Their list of crime is very long. India is carrying out only tailored match attacks," a senior government official said.
The escalation had in fact begun late on Thursday evening, when India neutralized 300 to 400 drones fired by Pakistan over 36 locations in the country's north and west. Punjab's Ferozpur reported one family harmed in these raids—the only firm confirmed civilian victims of that night. As a precautionary response, Indian border states with Pakistan were placed on blackout.
