The Ministry of Defence (MoD) on Thursday confirmed that the Indian armed forces had targeted and neutralised an air defence system in Lahore as part of a broader response to cross-border hostilities.
In a statement issued on May 8, the MoD said that Indian forces had conducted precision strikes on multiple Pakistani military installations, including air defence radars and systems, following attempts by the Pakistan military to target Indian sites.
“It has been reliably learnt that an Air Defence system at Lahore has been neutralised,” the statement read, referring to the strike as part of India’s “measured” response to a series of attempted attacks the previous night.
According to the MoD, on the night of May 7, Pakistan attempted to engage Indian military targets in 15 locations across northern and western India, including Srinagar, Jammu, Amritsar, Pathankot, and Bhuj, using a combination of drones and missiles. These attempts, the ministry said, were intercepted and neutralised by India’s Integrated Counter-Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) Grid and Air Defence systems.
The press release said that the Indian armed forces on the morning of Thursday, May 8, targeted Air Defence Radars and systems at a number of locations in Pakistan. “Indian response has been in the same domain with same intensity as Pakistan. It has been reliably learnt that an Air Defence system at Lahore has been neutralised,” the MOD said.
The Indian Armed Forces maintain that they are committed to non-escalation, provided it is respected by the Pakistani military, the statement said.
As per the MoD, Pakistan has increased the intensity of its unprovoked firing across the Line of Control using mortars and heavy calibre artillery in areas in Kupwara, Baramulla, Uri, Poonch, Mendhar and Rajouri sectors in Jammu and Kashmir, which left 16 dead including three women and five children.
On May 7, India launched Operation Sindoor in which it carried out precision strikes targeting nine terrorist sites belonging to Jaish-e-Mohammed and Lashar-e-Taiba. India had called its response as “focused, measured and non-escalatory”.