India-Pakistan Tensions LIVE Updates: Rajnath Singh Meets CDS, Tri-Service Chiefs Amid Tensions With Pakistan

Operation Sindoor LIVE Updates: The Indian armed forces foiled attempts by the Pakistani military to engage a number of military targets in Northern and Western India using drones and missiles last night and destroyed a Pakistani air defence system in Lahore, officials said on Thursday.

The Pakistani military attempted to target Awantipura, Srinagar, Jammu, Pathankot, Amritsar, Kapurthala, Jalandhar, Ludhiana, Adampur, Bhatinda, Chandigarh, Nal, Phalodi, Uttarlai, and Bhuj, they said. These were foiled by the Integrated Counter Unmanned Aircraft System (Grid and Air Defence systems), the defence ministry said.

What is Operation Sindoor?

"A little while ago, the Indian Armed Forces launched ‘OPERATION SINDOOR’, hitting terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir from where terrorist attacks against India have been planned and directed. Altogether, nine (9) sites have been targeted," the PIB said in a statement.

India's Strikes on Terror Camps in Pakistan, PoK

India's actions were "focused, measured and non-escalatory in nature." "No Pakistani military facilities have been targeted. India has demonstrated considerable restraint in selection of targets and method of execution," the statement said.

India Briefs Countries on Operation Sindoor

India reached out to several leading countries, including the US, Russia, the UK and Saudi Arabia, early Wednesday and briefed them about the military strike it carried out on nine terror targets in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir, reported PTI, citing sources. "Senior Indian officials have spoken to their counterparts in a number of countries to brief them on the steps taken by India. Among these are the US, the UK, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Russia," sources told the newsagency.

Trump on Operation Sindoor

Speaking to reporters at the White House, Trump said, "We just heard about it as we were walking in the doors of the oval. Just heard about it. I guess people knew something was going to happen based on a little bit of the past. They've been fighting for a long time. They've been fighting for many, many decades. And centuries, actually, if you think about it. I hope it ends very quickly."


Several Airports Closed, Flight Ops Impacted

Indian airlines have cancelled their flights to and from various cities, including Jammu and Srinagar, amid airspace restrictions in the wake of Indian armed forces carrying out missile strikes on terror targets in Pakistan.

Indigo Domestic Flights Cancelled

Air India said that in view of the prevailing situation, the airline has cancelled all its flights to and from Jammu, Srinagar, Leh, Jodhpur, Amritsar, Bhuj, Jamnagar, Chandigarh and Rajkot till noon. According to SpiceJet, due to the ongoing situation, airports in parts of northern India, including Dharamshala (DHM), Leh (IXL), Jammu (IXJ), Srinagar (SXR), and Amritsar (ATQ), are closed until further notice. IndiGo said that due to changing airspace conditions in the region, flights to and from Srinagar, Jammu, Amritsar, Leh, Chandigarh and Dharamshala are impacted.


Top Developments

• Indian armed forces carried out missile strikes early Wednesday on nine terror targets in Pakistan and Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir.
• Strikes were carried on Jaish-e-Mohammad stronghold of Bahawalpur and Lashkar-e-Taiba's base Muridke.
• India's actions came two weeks after the Pahalgam terror attack that triggered widespread outrage in India and abroad.
• The name for the action -- Operation Sindoor -- is a reference to the red vermillion that Hindu women wear to signify their married status.
• In the Pahalgam terror attack, the husbands of several women were killed in front of them including an Indian Navy officer.
• The Pakistani troops resorted to heavy cross border shelling along the Line of Control after India's strikes on terror camps.
• Defence Minister Rajnath Singh spoke to Army, Air Force and Navy chiefs following Operation Sindoor. The Indian Army is responding appropriately.
• The operation came days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi gave the armed forces full freedom to respond to the Pahalgam terror attack.
• 'Operation Sindoor' carried out by the Indian armed forces killed over 100 terrorists, the government told an all-party meeting, PTI reported.