India thwarts Pakistan missile strikes, neutralises air defence system in Lahore
India thwarts Pakistan missile strikes, neutralises air defence system in Lahore
M.U.H
08/05/202515
Indian armed forces on Thursday thwarted Pakistan’s overnight attempt to strike multiple military targets in northern and western India with drones and missiles, and destroyed a key air defence system in Lahore.
The Defence Ministry said Indian forces responded to Pakistan’s missile strikes by targeting and destroying several of its air defence radars and systems across multiple locations.
"Today morning Indian Armed Forces targeted Air Defence Radars and systems at a number of locations in Pakistan. Indian response has been in the same domain with the same intensity as Pakistan. It has been reliably learnt that an Air Defence system at Lahore has been neutralised," the ministry said in a statement.
The Pakistani military attempted to target Awantipura, Srinagar, Jammu, Pathankot, Amritsar, Kapurthala, Jalandhar, Ludhiana, Adampur, Bhatinda, Chandigarh, Nal, Phalodi, Uttarlai, and Bhuj, they said.
These were neutralised by the Integrated Counter Unmanned Aircraft System (Grid and Air Defence systems), the defence ministry said.
"These were neutralised by the Integrated Counter UAS Grid and Air Defence systems. The debris of these attacks is now being recovered from a number of locations that prove the Pakistani attacks," it said.
The escalation comes a day after India's armed forces carried out missile strikes on nine terror targets in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, including the Jaish-e-Mohammad stronghold of Bahawalpur and Lashkar-e-Taiba's base Muridke.
The attack killed 100 terrorists, according to the government.
Meanwhile, the MoD also stated that Pakistan has increased the intensity of unprovoked firing along the LoC using mortars and heavy-calibre artillery in Jammu and Kashmir's Kupwara, Baramulla, Uri, Poonch, Mendhar and Rajouri areas.
"Sixteen innocent lives have been lost, including three women and five children, due to Pakistani firing. Here too, India was compelled to respond to bring Mortar and Artillery fire from Pakistan to a halt," the ministry said.
The ministry also reiterated that the Indian Army stays committed to non-escalation with Pakistan "provided it is respected by the Pakistani military."
Earlier on Wedneday, the Centre had described Operation Sindoor as focused, measured and non-escalatory. It had specifically mentioned that Pakistani military establishments had not been targeted. It had reiterated that any attack on military targets in India will invite a suitable response
Meanhwile, the Pakistani military on Thursday claimed that it had shot down several Israeli-made attack drones launched by India, overnight and into Thursday afternoon.
According to army spokesman Lt. Gen. Ahmad Sharif, India fired several Israeli-made Harop drones at Pakistan, killing one civilian and wounding five people, including a civilian and four soldiers.
Pakistani forces shot down 25 drones, Sharif said.
A civilian was killed and another wounded when debris from a downed drone fell in Sindh province.
One drone damaged a military site near the city of Lahore and wounded four soldiers, and another fell in the garrison city of Rawalpindi, near the capital, according to Sharif.
"The armed forces are neutralizing them as we speak,” Sharif said on the state-run Pakistan Television early Thursday afternoon.
In Lahore, local police official Mohammad Rizwan said a drone was downed near Walton Airport, an airfield in a residential area about 25 kilometers (16 miles) from the border with India that also contains military installations.
Local media reported that two additional drones were shot down in other cities of Punjab province, of which Lahore is the capital.
In Punjab's Chakwal district, a drone crashed into farmland. Authorities have secured the wreckage and are investigating the drone’s origin and purpose.
