The North New
New Delhi, May 8
India has launched a series of “focused and proportionate” military strikes on Pakistani air defence installations, including a key system in Lahore, following Islamabad’s attempted drone and missile attacks on Indian military sites across the north and west of the country.
The Indian government said Thursday morning’s action, carried out under Operation Sindoor, was a direct response to a “failed attempt” by Pakistan to target several Indian military facilities, including bases in Srinagar, Jammu, Pathankot, Amritsar, Chandigarh, and Bhuj. These attacks, executed during the night of 7–8 May, were thwarted by India’s integrated air defence grid, with debris recovered across multiple sites.
“Today morning, Indian Armed Forces targeted air defence radars and systems at a number of locations in Pakistan,” a government spokesperson said. “The air defence system at Lahore has been neutralised.”
India first publicly referenced Operation Sindoor in a press briefing on 7 May, characterising it as a measured, precise, and non-escalatory response to cross-border threats. Officials clarified that Pakistani military headquarters and civilian areas had been deliberately avoided.
However, tensions have intensified in recent days. India accused Pakistan of stepping up unprovoked mortar and artillery shelling along the Line of Control, specifically in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kupwara, Baramulla, Uri, Poonch, Mendhar, and Rajouri sectors.
According to Indian officials, sixteen civilians, including three women and five children, were killed in the shelling. India said its forces responded to bring the cross-border fire to a halt.
“The Indian Armed Forces remain committed to non-escalation,” the statement said, “but any aggression or attacks on Indian soil will invite a suitable and firm response.”
The government’s message was one of restraint, underscoring the “defensive” nature of the operations. At the same time, military officials stressed that future attacks on Indian targets would not go unanswered.
