(LONDON) — India claimed on Thursday morning to have intercepted “drones and missiles” fired by Pakistan at several military targets throughout northern and western India, saying the overnight attack amounted to a bid by Pakistan to “escalate” the conflict between the two countries.
India also said it targeted Pakistani sites, including a Pakistani air defense system at Lahore, which it said it destroyed.
“Today morning Indian Armed Forces targeted Air Defence Radars and systems at a number of locations in Pakistan,” the Indian Ministry of Defense said in a statement. “Indian response has been in the same domain with same intensity as Pakistan.”
India on Tuesday and Wednesday launched aerial attacks on Pakistan, about two weeks after a deadly terror attack in the disputed Kashmir region. India blamed Pakistan for that militant attack, the Pahalgam incident, which left 26 people dead in Indian-held Kashmir. Pakistan denied involvement.
At least 16 people have been killed in India, the defense ministry said on Thursday. The Pakistan prime minister’s office said Thursday that 31 people were killed in India’s missile and drone attacks.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi had convened on Thursday a meeting of his secretaries to discuss “national preparedness,” a high-level defense discussion that came as his Pakistani counterpart declared that Pakistan had “once again proven its superiority over its enemy.”
The Pakistani prime minister, Shehbaz Sharif, on Thursday praised the actions of his country’s military over the last few days.
“I salute the heads of all three armed forces and every brave soldier,” Sharif said, according to his office. “The 240 million people of Pakistan are proud of their armed forces.”
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio called Sharif on Thursday, according to a statement from the prime minister’s office. Sharif conveyed to Rubio “Pakistan’s condemnation of India’s missile and drone strikes” and claimed India’s attacks “violated Pakistan’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,” according to the readout.
Rubio “emphasized upon the need for both Pakistan and India to work closely to de-escalate the situation,” the readout stated.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
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