Pakistan’s Operation Bunyan-un-Marsoos unleashed drone barrages and missile strikes on Indian soil, prompting India’s fierce retaliation targeting airbases near Islamabad and destroying terror launch pads across the LoC.
India-Pakistan Conflict Reaches Boiling Point in Deadliest Clash in Decades
BY PC Bureau
– In a dramatic escalation of hostilities, India unleashed a fierce retaliatory offensive against Pakistan late Friday night, targeting three key Pakistani airbases and military infrastructure in response to a relentless wave of drone attacks on 26 Indian locations and a brazen attempt to strike Delhi with a long-range missile. The conflict, the most intense between the nuclear-armed neighbors in nearly three decades, saw explosions light up Pakistani cities, civilian casualties mount on both sides, and global leaders scramble to avert a full-scale war.
Pakistani Offensive: Drone Barrage and Operation Bunyan-un-Marsoos
The night’s violence began with Pakistan’s second wave of drone attacks, targeting 26 locations across northern and western India, from Jammu and Kashmir to Gujarat. The Indian Ministry of Defence reported sightings of armed drones in Baramulla, Srinagar, Awantipora, Nagrota, Jammu, Ferozpur, Pathankot, Fazilka, Lalgarh Jatta, Jaisalmer, Barmer, Bhuj, Kuarbet, and Lakhi Nala along the International Border and Line of Control (LoC).
First visuals of wreckage found in Khajakheda village, Sirsa – Indian forces successfully intercepted a Fateh-1 missile launched by Pakistan!
Pakistan is a Terrorist State. Stop funding Pakistan, @IMFNews 🛑 https://t.co/ukbURLZUlR pic.twitter.com/ZWuAuRNRz9
— Mr. Vinayak (@belikevinayak) May 10, 2025
India’s advanced air defense systems, including the S-400, neutralized the Turkish-origin drones, preventing widespread damage. However, debris from a downed drone in Ferozpur, Punjab, injured three family members, one critically, while a drone strike in Kangniwal village, Jalandhar, damaged homes and a car, seriously injuring a resident.
Pakistan escalated further with Operation Bunyan-un-Marsoos (Impenetrable Wall), a large-scale retaliatory operation targeting Indian military installations. The Pakistan Air Force claimed its JF-17 Thunder aircraft launched hypersonic missiles at India’s Adampur airbase in Punjab’s Jalandhar district. Pakistan-based X users , made falsely claim of their attacks allegedly destroying an S-400 air defense system. However, Indian Defence sources and PIB facts check rubbished this claim. Pakistani forces also claimed to target the Pathankot military airfield, Udhampur airbase, and a BrahMos missile storage facility in Beas, Punjab, with residents reporting loud explosions in Srinagar, Jammu, and Amritsar, where sirens blared for over two hours. However, none of these attacks were confirmed
OPERATION SINDOOR
Pakistan Armed Forces launched multiple attacks using drones and other munitions along entire Western Border on the intervening night of 08 and 09 May 2025. Pak troops also resorted to numerous cease fire violations (CFVs) along the Line of Control in Jammu and… pic.twitter.com/WTdg1ahIZp
— ADG PI – INDIAN ARMY (@adgpi) May 9, 2025
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In a daring move, Pakistan launched a Fatah-II long-range surface-to-surface missile aimed at Delhi, a provocative act signaling its intent to strike deep into Indian territory. The missile, with a 400-kilometer range, was intercepted by Indian air defenses over Sirsa, Haryana, averting a potential catastrophe in the capital.
Pakistan’s military also intensified shelling across the LoC, targeting civilian areas in Rajouri, Mendhar, and RS Pura in Jammu and Kashmir. The shelling killed five civilians, including the Additional District Commissioner of Rajouri, a senior Jammu and Kashmir government official, whose residence was hit. Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah mourned the loss on X.
Pakistan’s actions disrupted its own infrastructure. The Pakistan Airports Authority closed the country’s airspace from 3:15 AM to 12:00 PM on May 10, forcing Pakistan International Airlines flight PIA218, bound for Peshawar, to circle over Quetta. Fuel shortages led to a 48-hour closure of petrol pumps in Islamabad, exacerbating the crisis.
India’s Counteroffensive: Precision Strikes and Air Superiority
India’s response was swift and devastating, described by the Ministry of Defence as an “appropriate and proportionate” counter-strike aimed at crippling Pakistani military capabilities. Indian forces launched air-to-surface missiles, and possibly ballistic missiles, targeting three strategically vital Pakistani airbases: Nur Khan (Rawalpindi), located 10 kilometers from Islamabad near army headquarters; Murid (Chakwal) in Punjab; and Rafiqui (Shorkot) in Jhang district. The strikes caused mass panic in Rawalpindi, with residents fleeing amid explosions and smoke. Indian forces also hit Pakistani military posts and terrorist launch pads in the Neelam Valley and Sialkot sector of Pakistan-administered Kashmir, destroying infrastructure used for drone attacks.
In a significant blow to Pakistan’s air force, Indian air defenses shot down two Pakistani fighter jets—one near Lasjan, Srinagar, and another in North Kashmir. India’s military claimed to have neutralized Pakistani F-16 and JF-17 Thunder jets that took off from Sargodha airbase, though Pakistan has not confirmed these losses. The Indian Air Force’s use of advanced systems, including Israeli-made Heron and Harop drones for precision strikes, underscored its technological edge.
Explosions were reported in Islamabad, Lahore, and Peshawar, with social media videos showing flames and smoke billowing into the night sky. Pakistan’s military alleged that India fired ballistic missiles, but Indian officials emphasized precision air-to-surface strikes to minimize civilian casualties, contrasting with Pakistan’s shelling of civilian areas. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh reiterated that India’s Operation Sindoor, launched on May 7 to target terrorist infrastructure, focused solely on military and terrorist targets, with Friday’s strikes aimed at deterring further Pakistani aggression.
