Hostilities scale new heights: IAF fighters engage Pak jets in dogfight after airspace violation

Jammu: Security along with civil defence personnel and civilians gather near vehicles damaged due to an attack from Pakistan, in Jammu, Saturday, May 10, 2025.
| Photo Credit:
PTI

The hostilities between India and Pakistan saw a new violent escalation as the fighter aircraft of the two countries were engaged for the first time dog fight after Islamabad violated airspace, forcing an adequate response, initial reports from the ground suggest.

An official press conference is slated to take place at 10 am here to give details of the increased conflict between the two nations since India struck nine terrorist camps of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), Jaish-e-Mohammad, and Hizbul Mujahideen in Punjab province of Pakistan and Pakistan Occupied Jammu and Kashmir on May 7. 

Sources said Indian armed forces activated the air defence systems, and the Air Force fighters engaged the aggressive Pakistan Air Force jets after the latter crossed the Jammu airspace to enter India. They were pushed back. 

A big explosion was heard at around 6 am, sources in Jammu and Kashmir also stated. This is besides raining in sounds of many comparatively lower decibel levels of explosions arising out of drone attacks.  

Pakistan continued heavy shelling on the borders in Rajouri, Uri, Udampur and Kupwara sectors throughout the night, inflicting damages to buildings and leading to the deaths of a few and injuring others. 

Security personnel and civilians gather near vehicles damaged due to an attack from Pakistan, in Jammu, Saturday, May 10, 2025.

J&K Police sources said An Assistant District Development Commissioner, Raj Kumar Thapa, was among five killed in heavy shelling in Rajouri, in which his house was also damaged. Condoling Thapa’s death, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said in a post on X, “Devastating news from Rajouri. We have lost a dedicated officer of the J-K Administration Services. Just yesterday, he was accompanying the Deputy CM around the district and attended the online meeting I chaired”.

Jammu airport again was targeted.

Pakistan, in its bid to impact military installations, also tried to direct their aerial weapons at the command and core headquarters of the Army in Udhampur, Nagrota, Rajouri and Jammu but were repulsed by the Indian air defence systems. IAF’s installations were also targeted in Udhampur, reports indicate.

Sources said that Pakistan so far was trying to indulge in low-cost conflict, using only drones for surveillance and to attack this side of the border in forward areas of J&K, Rajasthan, and Punjab primarily. But, as per reports that need official verification, now they have utilised ballistic missiles.

India officially stated that on Friday alone, Pakistan had fired 300 to 400 drones, including the ones procured from Turkey, at 39 locations in India. 

Many of them were small and low flying and fired with intent to escape the India radar systems and exhaust bigger counter offensive armaments from India, sources explained.

The wave of new attacks from Pakistan and India’s counter-response continued from Friday into the wee hours of Saturday morning, which is again a first since the last four days of hostilities have mainly been confined to the night.

India, multiple sources said, adequately targeted the domains of Pakistan air defence, incapacitating Nur Khan Air Base in Rawalpindi, Rafiqui Air Base in Shorkot and Murid Air Base in Chakwal. 

This succeeds the Lahore air defence system targeted by India in its previous lethal air assault that New Delhi officially admitted in the briefing on Friday evening.

Instructions have been issued in Jammu to people not to venture outside their houses and movement of vehicles but of the armed forces have also been stalled to avoid causality from fire across the border, said sources. 

Smoke rises following an alleged explosion at Mia Bagh area amidst attack from Pakistan, in Udhampur, J&K, Saturday, May 10, 2025.

Restrictions have also been issued on live communication on social media. The government has advised people not to panic and follow instructions in these tough times.

In the late-night developments, Pakistan drones have been sighted at 26 locations ranging from the Baramulla in the North to Bhuj in the South, along both the International Border and the Line of Control with Pakistan. These include suspected armed drones posing potential threats to civilian and military targets.

The locations include Baramulla, Srinagar, Avantipora, Nagrota, Jammu, Ferozpur, Pathankot, Fazilka, Lalgarh Jatta, Jaisalmer, Barmer, Bhuj, Kuarbet and Lakhi Nala, Army sources said.

Regrettably, an armed drone targeted a civilian area in Ferozpur, resulting in severe injuries to members of a local family. The injured have been provided medical assistance, and security forces have sanitised the area, Army sources stressed.

The Indian Armed Forces are maintaining a high state of alert, and all such aerial threats are being tracked and engaged using counter-drone systems.

The situation is under close and constant watch, and prompt action is being taken wherever necessary.

Meanwhile, the Group of Seven (G7) nations on Saturday urged India and Pakistan to exercise maximum restraint and called for immediate de-escalation of their military conflict through dialogue.

The foreign ministers of the G7 countries said in a statement that further military escalation poses a serious threat to regional stability.

“We, the G7 foreign ministers of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the UK and the US and the High Representative of the European Union, strongly condemn the egregious terrorist attack in Pahalgam on April 22 and urge maximum restraint from both India and Pakistan,” the grouping said in a statement.

“Further military escalation poses a serious threat to regional stability. We are deeply concerned for the safety of civilians on both sides,” it said.

“We call for immediate de-escalation and encourage both countries to engage in direct dialogue towards a peaceful outcome,” the G7 said.

Published on May 10, 2025