India launched several missile strikes on Pakistan, killing at least 26 people and sparking fears of a full-blown war.
Overnight Wednesday, India targeted nine locations it claimed were connected to terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistani-administered Kashmir.
India’s Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said Operation Sindoor was in response to a terrorist attack in the Indian-controlled portion of Kashmir that killed 26 men last month.
Highlights
- India launched missile strikes on Pakistan, targeting nine sites and killing at least 26 people.
- Pakistan said 31 people were killed by Indian missile strikes and shelling.
- The strikes mark a significant escalation after a deadly terror attack killed 26 in a part of Indian-controlled Kashmir last month.
- Global powers, including the U.S., China, and the UN, have called for restraint and a peaceful resolution.
Indian missile strikes and shelling killed at least 31 people, according to Pakistani officials
Image credits: NurPhoto / Getty Images
Pakistan has denied any involvement in the terrorist attack.
Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said the civilian population had been targeted.
Lt. Gen. Ahmed Sharif, Pakistan’s military spokesperson, said Indian missile strikes and artillery shelling had killed at least 31 people and injured 46, AP reports.
Five civilians were killed along the Line of Control from artillery fire, and 26 were killed in the missile strikes, he said.
At least seven civilians were killed and 30 others wounded as Pakistan returned fire, Indian police and medics said, according to AP.
Image credits: Anadolu / Getty Images
Pakistan also said it had shot down five Indian fighter jets and one drone.
The strikes, which reportedly lasted about 25 minutes, were “both to deter and to pre-empt,” Misri said, after “intelligence monitoring of Pakistan-based terrorist modules indicated that further attacks against India were impending.”
Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has vowed to respond to the “cowardly attacks.”
“The treacherous enemy has launched a cowardly attack on five locations within Pakistan,” he said on X.
“This heinous act of aggression will not go unpunished. Pakistan reserves the absolute right to respond decisively to this unprovoked Indian attack — a resolute response is already underway.”
Misri said in a statement: “These actions were measured, non-escalatory, proportionate, and responsible.”
Misri continued: “They focused on dismantling the terrorist infrastructure and disabling terrorists likely to be sent across to India.
“You would also recall that the Security Council on 25th April 2025 had issued a Press Statement on the Pahalgam terror attack, underlining, and I quote, ‘The need to hold perpetrators, organisers, financiers and sponsors of this reprehensible act of terrorism accountable and bring them to justice’. India's latest actions should be seen in this context.”
Tensions between the two nuclear-armed states have been rising since the terrorist attack on Indian tourists in Pahalgam and Kashmir on April 22.
The attackers murdered 26 people, including one Nepali national.
The strikes were in response to a terror attack in April
Image credits: Anadolu / Getty Images
It was the largest number of civilian casualties in a terrorist attack in India since the November 26, 2008, attacks in Mumbai.
India and Pakistan have clashed over Kashmir since their partition in 1947, with both sides claiming the region and fighting multiple wars over it.
Global powers have urged both countries to show restraint.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said he was engaging both countries towards a peaceful resolution.
“I am monitoring the situation between India and Pakistan closely. I echo @POTUS's comments earlier today that this hopefully ends quickly and will continue to engage both Indian and Pakistani leadership towards a peaceful resolution,” he posted on X.
President Donald Trump had earlier told reporters that the development was “a shame.”
“I guess people knew something was going to happen based on a little bit of the past,” he said. “They’ve been fighting for a long time.”
He added: “I just hope it ends very quickly.”
Meanwhile, Beijing called on India and Pakistan to prioritize peace and stability.
“China expresses regret over India’s military actions this morning and is concerned about the current developments. China opposes all forms of terrorism,” a Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson said in a statement.
“We call on both India and Pakistan to prioritise peace and stability, remain calm and restrained, and avoid taking actions that further complicate the situation.”
A spokesperson for United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said: “The Secretary-General is very concerned about the Indian military operations across the Line of Control and international border. He calls for maximum military restraint from both countries.”