A resident of Jammu on Thursday expressed faith in the armed forces and confirmed that there is a complete blackout in the city.
“Sounds of shelling and firing can be heard. Smoke was seen in the sky. There is a complete blackout. We have full faith in our army,” a resident of Jammu told ANI.
Another resident reported hearing gunfire at regular intervals.
“We were sitting inside and heard the sound. There was a red sea light and a lot of smoke behind it. Every five to seven minutes, the sound of firing is heard. We don’t know where exactly Pakistan is firing from, but we have full confidence in our forces,” he said.
The Headquarters Integrated Defence Staff (HQ IDS) posted on X:
“Military stations of Jammu, Pathankot and Udhampur in proximity to the International Boundary in Jammu and Kashmir were targeted by Pakistan using missiles and drones. No losses. Threat neutralised by Indian Armed Forces as per SoP with kinetic and non-kinetic means.”
According to defence sources, Pakistan fired eight missiles directed at Satwari, Samba, RS Pura, and Arnia—all of which were intercepted by Indian air defence units.
Sources also said the attack resembled a Hamas-style operation, using multiple inexpensive rockets to target cities. Pakistan’s military is reportedly behaving like a terrorist organisation, similar to Hamas. Last month, ISI and Hamas operatives were reported to have met in Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir.
Explosions were heard as Indian air defence intercepted Pakistani drones in Udhampur, Jammu and Kashmir.
Pakistani drones were also intercepted in Jaisalmer, Rajasthan, where explosions and flashes were seen in the sky.
A complete blackout has been enforced in Bikaner (Rajasthan), Jalandhar (Punjab), and several areas of Jammu and Kashmir including Kishtwar, Akhnoor, Samba, Jammu, and Amritsar.
Amid escalating tensions, Pakistan targeted Jammu with loitering munitions on Thursday, prompting Indian Air Defence to respond immediately.
India had earlier launched Operation Sindoor, a series of precision strikes targeting terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK), in response to the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam that killed 26 people. The Indian government had stated that any attack on its military installations would invite an appropriate response.
During a media briefing on Thursday, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri stated that Pakistan’s escalation would be responded to appropriately.
“The original escalation was by Pakistan on April 22. We are responding to that escalation with the action taken yesterday morning. I would like to emphasize that our action was restrained, directed towards non-civilian, non-military targets, and confined to terrorist camps. Any further action by Pakistan, some of which we are witnessing today, is further escalation and is being responded to accordingly,” he said.
Sources said the government informed an all-party meeting on Thursday that over 100 terrorists were killed in India’s precision strikes on Pakistani terror infrastructure early Wednesday.
The Defence Ministry said in a statement that on the night of May 7, Pakistan attempted to target multiple military sites in Northern and Western India—Awantipura, Srinagar, Jammu, Pathankot, Amritsar, Kapurthala, Jalandhar, Ludhiana, Adampur, Bhatinda, Chandigarh, Nal, Phalodi, Uttarlai, and Bhuj—using drones and missiles.
The statement also noted that Pakistan has intensified unprovoked firing across the Line of Control (LoC) using mortars and heavy-calibre artillery in Kupwara, Baramulla, Uri, Poonch, Mendhar, and Rajouri sectors of Jammu and Kashmir. (ANI)