Fighting flares, vigil rises

Pakistan's missile and drone attacks repelled in Jammu after India targets its air defence systems, radars

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Sirens blared, explosions rang out and a blackout carpeted parts of Jammu city as India shot down missiles and drones fired from across the border on Thursday night, in an escalation of the conflict that began with the massacre in Pahalgam.

Pakistan targeted India's military stations in Jammu, Pathankot and Udhampur close to the international boundary in Jammu & Kashmir, but the threat was neutralized "with kinetic and non-kinetic means", the Integrated Defence Staff HQ said late night. No losses were reported.

ANI reported explosions in Jaisalmer in Rajasthan as India shot down drones from across the border.

Earlier in the day, India said it had targeted Pakistani air defence systems at multiple locations including Lahore on Thursday morning, after repelling overnight missile and drone attacks directed at parts of Northern and Western India. Foreign secretary Vikram Misri said late on Thursday that the choice of de-escalation is with Pakistan as it had escalated the situation with the Pahalgam terror attack, and India merely responded with Operation Sindoor.

"Our approach is not to escalate the situation, we only responded to the 22 April Pahalgam terror attack," he said.