India Foils Missile Attack on 15 Cities, Strikes Back at Pakistan Defences

In a dramatic escalation of hostilities, the Indian Ministry of Defence announced on Thursday that it had successfully thwarted a large-scale drone and missile assault launched by Pakistan late on the night of May 7–8. The attack, aimed at several military sites across northern and western India, was intercepted and neutralised by India’s Integrated Counter-Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) Grid and Air Defence systems.

An official statement from the ministry’s claims, Pakistan attempted to strike multiple locations, including Awantipora, Srinagar, Jammu, Pathankot, Amritsar, Kapurthala, Jalandhar, Ludhiana, Adampur, Bathinda, Chandigarh, Nal, Phalodi, Uttarlai, and Bhuj. However, Indian air defence forces intercepted all incoming threats, preventing any significant damage. Debris collected from the downed drones and missiles confirmed the origin of the attacks.

In a swift and calculated response early Thursday morning, Indian armed forces launched retaliatory strikes targeting Pakistani air defence infrastructure. The Ministry of Defence confirmed that an air defence radar system in Lahore was among the sites hit and neutralised.

“The Indian response has matched the scale and intensity of Pakistan’s attack. We have reliably confirmed that one air defence installation in Lahore has been destroyed,” the ministry said.

The tensions were further aggravated by Pakistan’s unprovoked escalation along the Line of Control (LoC), where mortar and artillery fire was reported in several sectors, including Kupwara, Baramulla, Uri, Poonch, Mendhar, and Rajouri in Jammu and Kashmir.

Tragically, Pakistan’s shelling has claimed the lives of sixteen civilians, including three women and five children. Indian forces were compelled to intervene to suppress the artillery fire and protect local populations.

Adding to the unfolding situation, satellite imagery released by Maxar Technologies shows the aftermath of India’s precision strikes on terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. Highlighting the scale of India’s retaliatory action, high-resolution before-and-after images reveals significant damages at key locations such as Markaz Subhan Allah in Bahawalpur and a compound in Muridke.

As fears grow that things could escalate even further, both countries closely monitoring each other.