India Strikes Three Pakistani Airbases After Drone Attacks on 26 Indian Locations

India attacked three Pakistani airbases in response to drone strikes on 26 Indian locations. The strikes triggered intense shelling across Jammu and Kashmir, resulting in civilian casualties. Amid escalating tensions, 32 Indian airports were shut, while the G7 urged restraint and condemned the earlier terror attack in Kashmir’s Pahalgam.

In a dramatic escalation of military conflict, India launched precision strikes on three Pakistani airbases—Nur Khan in Rawalpindi, Murid in Chakwal, and Rafiqui in Jhang—late Friday night in retaliation for a coordinated drone assault by Pakistan on 26 locations across northern India. The strikes were confirmed by both Indian authorities and Pakistan’s military spokesperson Lt Gen Ahmad Sharif Chaudhry.

The Pakistani drone attacks, which targeted areas in Jammu & Kashmir, Punjab, Rajasthan, and Gujarat, left at least three civilians injured in Ferozepur. India responded forcefully, with the Indian Air Force targeting key military infrastructure in Pakistan just hours after the incursion. The attacks prompted Pakistan to shut its airspace between 3:15 a.m. and 12:00 p.m. on Saturday.

Loud explosions and shelling were reported across Jammu and Kashmir on Saturday morning. In a tragic development, Rajouri’s Additional District Development Commissioner Raj Kumar Thappa was killed when a shell hit his home. His death was publicly mourned by J&K Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, who also criticized the international community for not addressing the root causes of the tension.

Meanwhile, Indian air defense units intercepted and destroyed several hostile drones, including one whose debris was found in Haryana’s Sirsa, raising alarms that a missile may have been aimed at Delhi. The Ministry of Civil Aviation subsequently shut down 32 airports in northern and western India until May 15 as a precaution.

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International concern has grown, with the G7 issuing a joint statement condemning the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack and urging India and Pakistan to exercise maximum restraint to avoid further deterioration of regional stability.