Late on Thursday night, India repelled a barrage of Pakistani missiles and drone strikes on the border regions of Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, Rajasthan and Gujarat.
Air raid sirens blared and blackouts were imposed across large swathes of these border areas with 24 airports shut as well.
Attacks were confirmed on military stations in Jammu, Pathankot, Udhampur and Jalandhar – all close to the international border.
The Ministry of Defence said there were no casualties or material losses and the threat was “neutralised” using kinetic and non-kinetic means.
For context, kinetic options refer to use of missiles and other weapon systems, and non-kinetic to measures like jammers and anti-drone nets.
Reports suggest that India used a mix of Russia and Israel-made weapons, and locally produced systems such as Akash surface-to-air missiles as well as other countermeasures to repel the Pakistani attack.
Defence officials confirmed eight Pakistani missiles were intercepted at Satwari, Samba, RS Pura and Arnia in the Jammu region.
Heavy shelling by the Pakistani army has also been reported J&K’s Poonch, Rajouri, Uri, Chowkibal and Kupwara.
Additionally, India’s Border Security Forces confirmed that a major infiltration bid by Pakistan was foiled at the International Boundary in Samba district in Jammu and Kashmir.
External Affairs Minister of India, Dr. S. Jaishankar said he has discussed the latest developments with US Secretary of State & NSA, Marco Rubio, as well as EU’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Kaja Kallas.
In doing so, Dr. Jaishankar underlined India’s targeted and measured response to cross-border terrorism, and reiterated India’s prerogative to firmly counter any attempts at escalation.
