2025 India–Pakistan conflict

The 2025 India–Pakistan conflict was a brief armed conflict between India and Pakistan that began on 7 May 2025, after India launched missile strikes on Pakistan, in a military campaign codenamed Operation Sindoor. India said that the operation was in response to the Pahalgam terrorist attack in Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir on 22 April 2025 in which 26 civilians were killed. India accused Pakistan of supporting cross-border terrorism, which Pakistan denied.

On 7 May, India launched Operation Sindoor with missile strikes on terrorism-related infrastructure facilities of Pakistan-based militant groups in Pakistan-administered Azad Kashmir, and said that no Pakistani military or civilian facilities were targeted. According to Pakistan, the Indian strikes hit civilian areas. Pakistan's army retaliated on 7 May, by launching a blitz of mortar shells on Indian-administered Kashmir. This conflict marked the first drone battle between the two nuclear-armed nations.

In the early hours of 10 May, India accused Pakistan of launching missile attacks on Indian air bases while Pakistan accused India of launching attacks on several Pakistan air bases, As conflict escalated on 10 May, Pakistan launched its Operation Bunyan-un-Marsoos, in which it said it had targeted several Indian military bases.

After the four-day military conflict, both India and Pakistan announced that a ceasefire had been agreed after a hotline communication between their DGMOs (Directors General of Military Operations) on 10 May 2025. US Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio held extensive correspondence with both Indian and Pakistani officials during the negotiations. The ceasefire has been holding, with resumed commercial flights and normalcy reported from both countries.

 Background 

The Kashmir conflict, ongoing since 1947, has fuelled multiple wars and skirmishes between India and Pakistan over the disputed region.

On 22 April 2025, a terrorist attack by five armed terrorists near Pahalgam in Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir killed 26 civilians, mostly Hindu tourists. The Resistance Front, a militant faction of the Pakistan-based, UN-designated terrorist group Lashkar-e-Taiba, operating in Indian-administered Kashmir, initially claimed responsibility for the attack, but later denied responsibility, saying that the earlier claim was the result of a coordinated hacking, and attributed the breach to Indian authorities. Pakistan alleged that the Pahalgam attack was a "false flag operation" orchestrated by India.

India announced a series of retaliatory measures against Pakistan, including the suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty, prompting responsive measures and leading to a diplomatic crisis and border skirmishes. India and Pakistan also closed their airspaces for each other's airlines.

According to AirForces Monthly, on 29 April, four Indian Air Force (IAF) Rafale aircraft departed from Ambala Air Force Station on a mission to bomb terrorist targets in the north but aborted and diverted to Srinagar Air Force Station due to an electronic warfare jamming claimed by PAF. As described by the magazine, following this failed attack, and before 6 May, the IAF redeployed up to 20 Rafale aircraft from Hasimara Air Force Station (home of No. 101 Squadron IAF in the Eastern Command) to Gwalior, Ambala, Srinagar, and Nal Air Force Station in Rajasthan. Several S-400 missile system surface-to-air missile batteries were also repositioned to Adampur, Bhuj, and Bikaner. During late April and early May, the IAF mobilised around 400 aircraft, with its transport fleet conducting more than 500 sorties. On 30 April, Pakistan said that a military strike by India was imminent.

Battle 
Operation Sindoor
Initial strikes
On 7 May 2025, India launched missile and air strikes on nine alleged "militant camps" in both Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir. Seven targets, including some in Pakistan-administered Kashmir, were hit by the Indian Army's artillery regiment, while air defence was jointly provided by the Army and the Indian Air Force. The Israeli press mentioned Indo-Israeli SkyStriker loitering munitions. The attacks on targets in Pakistani Punjab were carried out by the Indian Air Force. According to sources cited by India Today, Rafale jets were employed, equipped with SCALP missiles and AASM Hammer bombs. In press releases by Press Information Bureau, the Indian government claimed that during the first attacks on terror camps the Indian Air Force had "bypassed and jammed Pakistan's Chinese-supplied air defence systems" and the operation was conducted without the loss of any Indian asset. The missile attack targeted locations including Subhan Allah Mosque in Bahawalpur (near Ahmedpur East) and Markaz-e-Taiba in Muridke, part of the headquarters of JeM and the headquarters of LeT respectively and alleged by India to be their terrorist training camps. Other sites claimed to have been targeted by India included Abbas Mosque (associated with the JeM) in Kotli District, Shawai Nala camp (associated with the LeT) and Syedna Bilal Mosque (associated with the JeM) in Muzaffarabad, a site in Gulpur, Kotli District (alleged by the Indian government to be a LeT and HuM camp); Markaz Ahl-e-Hadith in Barnala, Bhimber District (alleged by the Indian government to be associated with the LeT); a site in Mehmona Joya, Kotli Loharan West, Sialkot District (alleged by the Indian government to be a HuM camp); and a site in Tera Katlan in Sarjal, Shakargarh Tehsil, Sialkot District (alleged by the Indian government to be a JeM camp). Satellite images released after launching the strikes showed the extent of damage in Pakistan. According to CNN, Indian jets in past bombed Pakistani territory following militant attacks on its land but "Wednesday's operation is the deepest India attack inside its neighbor since the Indo-Pakistan war of 1971, the biggest of several wars between the two countries."
Pakistan confirmed strikes on six of the sites targeted by India, denying the strikes at Barnala and Gulpur in Pakistan-administered Azad Kashmir, but said these were civilian areas including mosques and residential areas and were not terrorist facilities. 
Air battle
The Indian air attacks started an air battle in which more than 114 aircraft, 72 from the IAF and 42 from the PAF, were involved in what was described as the largest beyond visual range engagement on the India–Pakistan border, with the engagement described as one of the largest air battles since the end of World War II. According to independent assessments, at least four Indian fighter aircraft were downed during the dogfight, though Pakistan claimed five, including three Rafales, one MiG-29, one SU-30MKI and a Heron unmanned aerial vehicle. If true, it would be first time that a French-origin Dassault Rafale has been lost in combat, reportedly having been shot down by the Chinese-origin Chengdu J-10. Pakistan's response also included the use of Chinese-produced PL-15 long-range air-to-air missiles fired from Chengdu J-10 fighter jets, marking the first combat use of the missile. The presence of air-launched PL-15 debris at multiple sites within India was indicative that some of the downings were caused by the PAF. According to The US Congress Report released on 18th November 2025 confirmed that India lost 3 jets.

Chief of Staff of the French Air and Space Force Général d'armée aérienne  stated that he had "seen evidence" of three aircraft being destroyed including a Rafale, a Mirage 2000 and a Russian Sukhoi. Reuters reported that unnamed Indian government sources said that three fighter jets had crashed in India due to unknown causes. On 8 May, an unnamed US official told Reuters that he assessed with "high confidence" that Pakistani J-10 aircraft had shot down at least two Indian fighter jets; a second official assessed one of the downed jets to be a Dassault Rafale. The Washington Post later said that it had identified 3 crash sites in India from 7 May, identifying two of them as belonging to an Indian Dassault Rafale and Dassault Mirage 2000 at Akalia Kalan in Bathinda and Wuyan in Pampore respectively and another site at Akhnoor (likely an Indian MiG-29). The Rafale crash in Bathinda also reportedly killed two bystanders. On 9 May, local government sources in Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir told Reuters that three fighter jets crashed in India on 7 May with three pilots being hospitalized.

On 11 May, the Indian Air Force said that "losses are a part of combat" but declined to provide more details, adding that all pilots were back home. According to France 24, India's refusal to confirm or deny the loss of the jets gave further credence to the downing claims. Defence analyst Michael Clarke told Al Jazeera that if India had lost a Rafale jet, "that would certainly be embarrassing." He added that if the aircraft had come down within Indian territory, India would likely try to keep it as an unconfirmed rumour for as long as possible, and that its general statement on "inevitable losses" might be the closest it comes to confirmation.

On 15 May, Pakistani prime minister Shehbaz Sharif claimed that Pakistan shot down six Indian fighter jets, the sixth being a Mirage 2000. On 28 May, he again said that six Indian fighter jets were downed but said that four of these were Rafale, one MiG-29 and one "another plane". The PAF provided the tail numbers BS001, BS021, BS022, and BS027 of four Rafale aircraft it claimed to have shot down to Dassault so the manufacturer could confirm whether the aircraft were still operational. One of the Rafale aircraft, identified by the callsign Godzilla 4, was destroyed over Akalia Kalan, a village in Bathinda in Punjab, India, approximately 70 km from the India–Pakistan border, while returning to Ambala Air Force Station, home to a major wing of the IAF’s Western Air Command. The downed jet was identified as Rafale EH BS001. On 6 June, the PAF said that No. 15 Squadron, also known as the Cobras, was responsible for shooting down IAF fighter jets. The unit operated out of PAF Base Minhas in Kamra with J-10C multirole fighters equipped with PL-15 beyond-visual-range missiles. According to Dawn, the Cobras deployed 18 out of the 20 aircraft assigned to the squadron for the intercept operation on 7 May. On 31 May 2025, India's Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan admitted that India lost jets, but dismissed Pakistan's claim of downing six fighter jets. On 18 July 2025, President of the United States Donald Trump said that he believed five aircraft had been shot down during the conflict. According to The Washington Quarterly, India confirmed the loss of at least three aircraft during the conflict, although the types were not specified. It is likely that India lost at least four aircraft, possibly a fifth, including at least one Rafale and a MiG-29; and that Pakistan also likely lost aircraft.

Indian strikes on Pakistani air bases
On 8 May 2025, in response to a series of drone incursions and missile attacks, which India attributed to Pakistan despite its denials of involvement, India carried out strikes and claimed to have damaged air defence radars and systems at multiple locations in Pakistan. Pakistan reported drone incursions or intercepts at 11 sites that morning, and officially acknowledged that four soldiers were injured and military equipment was partially damaged.Frances Mao, India reports strikes on military bases, Pakistan denies any role, BBC News, 8 May 2025.Multiple explosions, blackout in Indian-administered Kashmir's Jammu city, Al Jazeera, 8 May 2025. The strikes destroyed an air defence radar in Lahore.

Local media in India reported a barrage of drone and missile strikes on the night of 9 May.Bashaarat Masood, Amrita Nayak Dutta,  Baramulla to Barmer, India blocks second wave of drone attacks, The Indian Express, 10 May 2025. Hours later, on the night of 9 and 10 May, the Indian Armed Forces conducted multiple airstrike operations targeting Pakistani military installations. As per Indian media reports, the air strikes were planned by India's Chief of the Air Staff Amar Preet Singh while National Security Advisor Ajit Doval granted the final clearance. A wave of one-way loitering munitions, including Israeli-made IAI Harop and Polish Warmate 5.0 drones, was deployed. These drones served dual purposes, probing and assessing the reaction parameters of HQ-9BE short-range SAM systems and neutralising or degrading the target acquisition and illumination radars of HQ-16FE medium-range SAM systems. This preparatory tactic weakened the defensive envelope of the targeted sites, thereby facilitating the success of the subsequent cruise missile strikes. According to Pakistan, the PAF intercepted and destroyed 84 Israeli-made Harop drones sent by India.

The drone strikes were followed by Su-30MKI aircraft of the IAF launching between fifteen and eighteen supersonic BrahMos missiles, typically one per aircraft, caused considerable damage. Simultaneously, Rafale EH aircraft from No. 17 Squadron employed at least ten SCALP-EG missiles. These precision strikes were focused on degrading Pakistan's air defense capabilities and operational infrastructure. The targets included four early warning radar installations, seven PAF air bases, and one forward operating base.

PAF Base Nur Khan came under both missile and drone attacks. A missile strike hit the operations room of the 35 Composite Transport Wing, destroying two fuel trucks, with collateral damage to at least one C-130 Hercules medium-lift tactical transport aircraft.The barrage took out two roofs and hit the hangar of a refueling plane, according to one of the officials, who visited the base the next day. According to William Goodhind, a geospatial analyst at Contested Ground, two mobile control centers at the Nur Khan airbase were damaged. An apparent missile strike created a -wide hole in an aircraft hangar at PAF Base Bholari. Debris was scattered across the pavement around the hangar, and the wall appeared to have collapsed onto a nearby building. This strike damaged a Saab 2000 Erieye AEW&CS, which the PAF said was later repaired. PAF Base Shahbaz was also attacked, resulting in a -wide hole in an aircraft hangar as well as damage to its air traffic control tower.
At PAF Base Mushaf, the Indian military claimed to have used precision weapons to strike two sections of the runway. Later satellite imagery showed a crater on the runway. The runway was made operational within a few hours. At PAF Base Murid and PAF Base Rafiqui, BrahMos missiles targeted an Unmanned aerial vehicle(UAV) command shelter and the operations room of the 34 Tactical Air Wing, respectively. At PAF Base Sukkur, a hangar and an electronic warfare (EW) radar installation were destroyed by missile strikes.

Satellite imagery taken after the Indian strike showed a crater on the Rahim Yar Khan Airport runway that was not present in earlier images. The airport's Royal Lounge was damaged in the attack and a -wide crater was created in the apron area. The air strikes were also executed against early warning radar installations of the Pakistan Army Air Defence Corps (PAADC), including one located in Gujranwala.

Pakistan Army spokesman said that India fired ballistic missiles from Adampur that fell into its own territory,Pakistan Army's spokesman claims India fired ballistic missiles that fell into Indian territory, Reuters, 9 May 2025 and added that India had targeted Afghanistan with missile and drone strikes. PAF spokesperson displayed radar signatures of the BrahMos on screen and said the missiles had missed their targets and flown into Afghanistan. India denied the allegations, calling the claims "ludicrous" and "frivolous". The Taliban government of Afghanistan also denied Pakistani claims of Indian attacks on Afghanistan. It was termed a "bizarre and unsubstantiated claim" by Christopher Clary.

Pakistan said that all Pakistan Air Force (PAF) assets at targeted bases remained safe. Pakistani media reported that Sheikh Zayed International Airport in Rahim Yar Khan was targeted and suffered structural damage. The airport was named after Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan and is regarded as a symbol of Pak-UAE friendship. Although commercial flights have been suspended since 2023, the airport was occasionally used by members of the House of Nahyan via the Royal Lounge, which was among the facilities destroyed in the attack. The Pakistan military later confirmed that six of its airmen were killed during the Indian air strikes including 5 deaths at Bholari and one at Sargodha; Chief Minister of Sindh, Murad Ali Shah, also later said that nine personnel injured in Indian attacks 

Operation Bunyan-um-Marsoos
In retaliation for Indian strikes, the PAF carried out a coordinated retaliatory air campaign. The primary objective of the operation was to disrupt IAF infrastructure and operational readiness, particularly by targeting airbases and logistical nodes near the Indo-Pakistani border. JF-17 multirole fighter aircraft launched stand-off munitions, including air-launched cruise missiles, against several Indian military installations, including Udhampur, Adampur, and Pathankot air force stations, as well as weapon storage facilities in Uri, Nagrota, and Beas. The PAF struck and destroyed the Integrated Air Command and Control System (IACCS) at Barnala, effectively stopping communications between the IAF leadership and its fighters.

JF-17C Thunder Block 3 aircraft from No. 14 Squadron, and operating from PAF Base Rafiqui, conducted a Destruction of Enemy Air Defence (DEAD) mission to destroy the S-400 system at Adampur. The aircraft employed electronic countermeasures, decoys, and evasive manoeuvres to approach the S-400 system and fired CM-400AKG missiles at low-altitude and early-warning radar installations. Pakistan said that a mobile 91N6E (NATO name "Big Bird") acquisition radar was destroyed by a CM-400AKG, and that a 96L6E (NATO name "Cheese Board") 3D early-warning and acquisition radar was also successfully targeted. According to AirForces Monthly, independent analysis of low-resolution satellite images revealed evidence of burn marks and disturbed ground at the suspected S-400 site, suggesting that key components of the battery may have been struck or degraded. In another report, AirForces Monthly said that one thing is certain that without on-site photographs, authenticated radar recordings, and parametric analysis, what truly occurred between these two systems remains, for the time being, a matter of speculation and personal interpretation.

PAF also deployed domestically developed unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), described as "killer drones" over multiple locations in India. The drones flew over airbases carrying up to 20 kg of explosives. Over several hours, the PAF struck 34 targets across different Indian bases, with approximately half targeted by manned aircraft and the remainder by UAVs. India said that its air defence systems successfully intercepted and shot down hundreds of drones and loitering munitions launched by Pakistan. The Indian Army released images of what it said were debris of Pakistani YIHA-III kamikaze drones destroyed by air defence units. It said multiple armed drones were spotted flying over Khasa Cantonment in Amritsar at approximately 5 am and that the attempt had endangered residential areas.

 Impacts 

Pakistani airspace was closed for 48 hours and all flights were cancelled. In Pakistani Punjab, schools and colleges were closed, and CIE examinations were cancelled in most of Pakistan. In India, at least 25 airports in the north and west were shut down until 10 May. The Indian Air Force took control of Srinagar Airport and civil operations were stopped for an indefinite period.

The 2025 Indian Premier League transferred a match between Punjab Kings and the Mumbai Indians scheduled at Dharamsala on 11 May to Ahmedabad, citing the closure of Kangra Airport and other logistical issues caused by the ongoing tensions. Similarly, during the 2025 Pakistan Super League, a match between Karachi Kings and Peshawar Zalmi could not be played. On 9 May, both the tournaments were delayed because of bad situation. 

Stock markets in India and Pakistan experienced significant volatility through the week due to escalating geopolitical tensions, but rebounded sharply on 12 May following the ceasefire agreement. Reports that a Rafale had been downed were followed by a dip in the share price of Dassault Aviation, the manufacturer of the aircraft. Indonesia, which had placed outstanding orders for Rafales, announced that it was reconsidering its procurement plans and was evaluating China's J-10C fighter as an alternative.
Aftermaths
Notes



 See also 
Protests against the 2025 India-Pakistan conflict
2025 Indo-Pak ceasefire agreement

 References 
Category:May 2025 events
Category:2025 in India
Category:2025 in Pakistan