Op Sindoor: Day after, India ‘neutralises’ Lahore’s missile defence system in reply to Pak’s ‘unprovoked’ firing

Operation Sindoor Update: India has confirmed a proportionate and targeted military response to Pakistan’s attempted escalation on the intervening night of May 7-8, 2025. According to official sources, the Indian Armed Forces successfully neutralised multiple Pakistani military assets, including the HQ-9 missile defence system near Lahore. This was followed by an unprovoked aerial and artillery offensive by Pakistan across multiple regions of India.


The response came after Pakistan launched drone and missile attacks on as many as 15 military targets in Northern and Western India. The intended targets included military bases and infrastructure in Awantipura, Srinagar, Jammu, Pathankot, Amritsar, Kapurthala, Jalandhar, Ludhiana, Adampur, Bhatinda, Chandigarh, Nal, Phalodi, Uttarlai, and Bhuj.

These attempted strikes were intercepted and neutralised by India’s Integrated Counter-UAS Grid and the advanced Russia-made S-400 ‘Sudarshan Chakra’ air defence system, which is capable of tracking and eliminating aerial threats at distances of up to 600 km.

The government reiterated that its initial strike under Operation Sindoor on May 7, targeting terror infrastructure in Pakistan, was carefully calibrated and avoided Pakistani military establishments. The operation was launched in response to the recent terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, which claimed 26 civilian lives.


Sources said Indian Rafale fighter jets launched air-to-surface missiles, and surface-to-surface missiles were deployed by the Army duringOperation Sindoor, striking nine terror camps linked to Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) and Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) across Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. Intelligence reports suggest over 100 terrorists were eliminated in these coordinated strikes.

Following Operation Sindoor, Pakistan responded by attempting a wide-scale aerial attack using drones and missiles. In addition to the Indian military’s successful interception of these attacks, debris from downed Pakistani drones is being recovered across several locations in India.

On Thursday (May 8) morning, in a retaliatory move, India launched a focused strike on Pakistani air defence radar systems. Notably, a Chinese-made HQ-9 missile defence unit stationed in Lahore was hit and neutralised, rendering the city vulnerable to further aerial threats. Reliable sources confirmed that the Indian Air Force successfully carried out the mission with high precision.

Pakistan, meanwhile, acknowledged that one drone crashed near Lahore and that 12 others were destroyed in areas including Gujranwala, Chakwal, Bahawalpur, Miano, Karachi, Chhor, Rawalpindi, and Attock. Pakistan also reported four injuries among its army personnel in Lahore and the death of a civilian in Miano, Sindh.


Tensions escalated further as Pakistan intensified mortar and heavy artillery fire across the Line of Control (LoC) in sectors such as Kupwara, Baramulla, Uri, Poonch, Mendhar, and Rajouri in Jammu and Kashmir. The cross-border shelling resulted in the death of 16 Indian civilians, including three women and five children. The Indian Armed Forces responded to this aggression with targeted counter-fire to suppress further attacks and prevent loss of life.

A statement issued by the Government of India stressed the country’s commitment to non-escalation. “Indian Armed Forces reiterate their commitment to non-escalation, provided it is respected by the Pakistani military,” the statement read. India’s response, according to officials, has been measured, proportionate, and consistent with its stated policy of defensive retaliation.

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