Indian security forces have reportedly captured a Pakistan Air Force pilot after he ejected from his fighter jet and landed in the Jaisalmer area. His name has not yet been made public. According to reports, the Border Security Force’s (BSF) quick reaction team (QRT) was responsible for his capture. This incident followed Pakistan’s second failed attempt in under 24 hours to strike important targets in India. Indian air defence systems effectively intercepted and destroyed a series of drones and missiles aimed at border regions in Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, Rajasthan, and Gujarat late Thursday night. 

Pakistan aimed its projectiles at key Indian sites, including Jammu airport, a military base in Udhampur, and other strategic areas such as Akhnoor, Pathankot, Gurdaspur, and Jaisalmer. Defence sources informed Times Now that India’s defence systems, particularly the S-400, played an integral role in intercepting and destroying the incoming threats. Reports also indicated that two Pakistani drones were brought down near Jammu University, and more drones were spotted around the Kutch region. Shortly after the attacks began, complete blackouts were imposed in parts of Jammu, Punjab, and Rajasthan as a precaution.

Former Jammu and Kashmir DGP SP Vaid posted on X, "Complete blackout in Jammu. Loud explosions—bombing, shelling, or missile strikes suspected. Fret not—Mata Vaishno Devi is with us, and so are the valiant Indian Armed Forces." 

In retaliation, India carried out missile attacks on multiple sites in Pakistan, including Lahore, Sialkot, Islamabad, and Karachi. These strikes reportedly took out Pakistan’s air defence radar systems and destroyed one of its airborne warning and control aircraft (AWACS). The United States issued a strong warning to Pakistan, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio criticising Islamabad and urging it to reduce tensions without delay. Rubio also held a phone call with India’s External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar shortly after Pakistan launched its strikes. This was Pakistan’s second attempt to escalate the situation within 24 hours. Earlier Thursday morning, India’s defence systems blocked a similar aerial assault that aimed to hit 15 locations across the country. 

Pakistan launched drone and missile attacks aimed at several military sites across northern and western India. According to a PIB statement, Pakistan "attempted to engage a number of military targets in... Awantipura, Srinagar, Jammu, Pathankot, Amritsar, Kapurthala, Jalandhar, Ludhiana, Adampur, Bhatinda, Chandigarh, Nal, Phalodi, Uttarlai, and Bhuj, using drones and missiles". These strikes followed India’s Operation Sindoor, which had earlier eradicated terror-related infrastructure in nine sites across the border and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).

India intercepted the fresh wave of attacks using its Integrated Counter UAS Grid and Air Defence systems. "The debris of these attacks is now being recovered from a number of locations that prove the Pakistani attacks," PIB confirmed. So far, no casualties or major damage have been reported on the Indian side, and heightened security measures are in place across all affected regions.