LIVE: India launches airstrikes on alleged militant sites in Pakistan

This is live coverage of the escalating conflict between India and Pakistan. The latest updates will appear at the top of the article. Due to the fast-moving situation, some information may be unverified or conflicting. We are working to confirm details as they emerge.

UPDATE (10:33 p.m. ET): India Today reports that more than 80 militants were killed in the strikes carried out by the Indian armed forces in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, citing unnamed top security sources.

UPDATE (9:06 p.m. ET): At least three civilians were killed in shelling by Pakistani troops in Indian-controlled Kashmir, the Indian Army said, according to Reuters.

UPDATE (7:31 p.m. ET): Pakistan’s Defense Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif told Bloomberg TV that five Indian aircraft have been shot down and claimed that some Indian soldiers have been taken prisoner.

UPDATE (6:56 p.m. ET): Pakistan’s Information Minister Attaullah Tarar claimed that three Indian fighter jets and one Indian drone have been shot down in response to India’s strikes. Unconfirmed reports indicate that India has also shot down Pakistan aircraft.

UPDATE (6:51 p.m. ET): A spokesperson for Pakistan’s Armed Forces told the BBC that at least seven people have been killed in India’s cross-border strikes.

UPDATE (6:47 p.m. ET): The Embassy of India in Washington, D.C. released a statement defending India’s airstrikes, calling them “focused and precise” and stating that no Pakistani civilian, economic, or military targets were hit—only known terror camps.

The embassy also confirmed that Indian National Security Adviser Ajit Doval spoke with U.S. NSA advisor and Secretary of State Marco Rubio following the strikes to brief him on India’s actions.

UPDATE (6:42 p.m. ET): Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned India’s strikes, calling them an “unprovoked and blatant act of war.” The statement accused the Indian Air Force of using standoff weapons from within Indian airspace to target civilian populations across the international border in Muridke and Bahawalpur, and across the Line of Control in Kotli and Muzaffarabad, in Pakistan-administered Kashmir.

Pakistan said the attacks killed civilians, including women and children, and posed a “grave threat” to commercial air traffic. The ministry called India’s actions a “flagrant violation of the UN Charter, international law, and established norms of inter-state relations,” and warned that India’s narrative following the Pahalgam attack is “reckless” and brings both countries “closer to a major conflict.”

Pakistan said it reserves the right to respond “at a time and place of its choosing” under Article 51 of the UN Charter. The statement concluded by saying the government, armed forces, and people of Pakistan are united and will act “with iron resolve” to defend the country’s sovereignty.

UPDATE (6:36 p.m. ET): In response to an inquiry from BNO News, a spokesperson for the United Nations said Secretary-General António Guterres is “very concerned” about Indian military operations across the Line of Control and international border.

“He calls for maximum military restraint from both countries. The world cannot afford a military confrontation between India and Pakistan,” said UN spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric.

UPDATE (6:34 p.m. ET): Pakistan’s Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said the country has shot down two Indian fighter jets in response to India’s earlier missile strikes, according to Sky News.

UPDATE (5:41 p.m. ET): Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif accused India of carrying out “cowardly attacks” on five locations inside Pakistan, saying the country has every right to respond forcefully. “Pakistan has every right to respond fully to this act of war imposed by India—and a full response is underway,” he said in a statement.

UPDATE (5:17 p.m. ET): U.S. President Trump commented on India’s cross-border strikes during brief remarks to reporters. “It’s a shame. We just heard about it. They’ve been fighting for a long time. I just hope it ends very quickly,” he said.

UPDATE (5:02 p.m. ET): A spokesperson for the Pakistan military told local media that five locations were struck in the airstrikes. According to an initial assessment, at least three people were killed and 12 injured. The spokesman also claimed that two mosques were among the sites hit, and said that Pakistan’s response is underway.

UPDATE (4:57 pm ET): The Indian Army said Pakistan violated the ceasefire agreement by firing artillery in the Bhimber Gali area along the Poonch-Rajouri sector in Jammu and Kashmir. In a post on social media, the army said it is “responding appropriately in a calibrated manner.”

UPDATE (4:49 p.m. ET): Pakistan’s Defense Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif accused India of attacking civilian areas during the strikes. “India has attacked civilians in Pakistan, we will respond to this,” Asif told local media. He did not provide further details.

Earlier report:

India carried out strikes on what it described as terrorist camps located in Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir, according to officials. Explosions were reported in multiple Pakistani cities.

The Indian Ministry of Defense confirmed early Wednesday, local time, that it had launched Operation Sindoor, targeting a total of nine sites. Indian officials described the strikes as “focused, measured, and non-escalatory,” stating that no Pakistani military facilities were hit and that the operation was limited to what India identified as terrorist infrastructure.

“India has demonstrated considerable restraint in the selection of targets and method of execution,” the ministry said in its statement. “Those responsible for this attack will be held accountable.”

The targeted areas include Bahawalpur in eastern Pakistan’s Punjab province, and Muzaffarabad and Kotli in Pakistan-administered Kashmir—regions where India has accused Pakistan of harboring anti-India militant groups.

Shortly after the operation, intense shelling and loud explosions were reported in at least two border areas on the Indian side of Jammu and Kashmir, according to reports.

The strikes come in response to the April 17 attack in Pahalgam, located in Indian-administered Kashmir, where 25 Indian nationals and one Nepali citizen were killed in a mass shooting targeting tourists. The Resistance Front (TRF), which claimed responsibility, is believed by Indian authorities to be affiliated with the Pakistan-based militant group Lashkar-e-Taiba.

The Indian armed forces posted on social media shortly after the strikes, declaring “Justice is served,” along with a graphic labeled “Operation Sindoor.” An earlier message read, “Ready to Strike, Trained to Win.”

A spokesperson for the Pakistani military told ARY News that Pakistan will respond to the attacks.