India Conducts Airstrikes on Terrorist Targets in Pakistan Amid Rising Tensions

India has launched a series of missile strikes, dubbed Operation Sindoor, targeting what it says are terrorist infrastructure and hideouts of groups like Jaish-e-Mohammad and Lashkar-e-Taiba across nine locations in Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir. The operation was conducted in response to a recent terrorist attack in Indian-controlled Kashmir that killed 26 people, an act India blames on Pakistan-backed militants—a charge Pakistan denies. Indian officials emphasized that the strikes were 'focused, measured, and non-escalatory,' specifically avoiding Pakistani military facilities, and described them as a coordinated effort among the Army, Navy, and Air Force using precision weaponry. Pakistan, meanwhile, reported civilian casualties and condemned the strikes as an act of war, vowing a forceful response and claiming to have downed three Indian aircraft in retaliation. Tensions have escalated further with airspace closures, international diplomatic outreach, and widespread concern about the risk of broader conflict between the two nuclear-armed countries. Both sides continue to dispute the facts, with Pakistan denying involvement in the Kashmir attack but asserting its right to respond militarily.