Airbases attacked on both sides of the Line of Control in Kashmir

Authorities announce temporary closure of airports across north, west India

India’s Ministry of Civil Aviation has issued a series of Notices to Airmen (NOTAMs) announcing the temporary closure of 32 airports across the country’s north and west for all civil flight operations.

The closures will be in effect from May 9-14 and impacted airports span the Indian states of Punjab, Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana and Gujarat, as well as Indian-administered Kashmir.

More on huge explosion heard in Indian-administered Kashmir

Journalist Umar Mehraj, who is reporting from Srinagar, told Al Jazeera that at approximately 5:45am local time (23:45 GMT), residents heard a loud explosion in the Indian-administered Kashmir near the Line of Control (LoC).

“It is unclear whether the strike was fired by Pakistan,” he said, but added that the explosion was “louder and more intense” than previously reported blasts on Friday.

“This is one of the most intense clashes we have seen in recent years,” he said.

Mehraj also reported of power outages and the blaring of air raid sirens in the area following the explosion.

Chief minister of India-administered Kashmir reports death of district official

In a statement posted on X, Omar Abdullah, chief minister of the Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir region, said that Raj Kumar Thapa, a district commissioner in Rajouri town, was killed after his residence was hit by shelling from Pakistan.

“I’ve no words to express my shock and sadness at this terrible loss of life,” Abdullah wrote.

Shelling and intense fire have been reported since early on Saturday along the Line of Control dividing India and Pakistan.

India and Pakistan have not declared war, but ‘effectively at war’: Analyst

Michael Kugelman, a South Asia analyst, spoke to Al Jazeera a little earlier about the overnight and early-morning fighting between India and Pakistan.

This is some of what he said.

They have not formally declared war, but they are effectively at war. There have been increasing hostilities, and we see that after this series of strikes from India, Pakistan responded almost instantaneously, and they continue to fight.
    
My understanding is that the air forces are facing off with a dog fight. I think that we are seeing India and Pakistan, two nuclear states, at war for the first time since 1999.
    
The fog of war is very deep this time compared to previous India-Pakistan crises, and one reason for that is because of social media and disinformation and how that affects the fog of war. It does seem that you have a lot of accusations and then denials and so on from each side.
    
So it is really hard to know exactly what is going on. And there has been a lot of allegations about what has been going on in the last few hours, what’s happened and what has not happened. But what we do know is that both countries have attacked each other’s military facilities and that is very escalatory for sure.

Pakistan state media claims Indian websites hacked as part of ‘Bunyan Marsoos’

Earlier, we reported that Pakistan claimed it had hit India’s power grid with a cyberattack launched as part of operation Bunyan Marsoos.

Pakistan’s state-run PTV News now reports that several sensitive Indian online domains have been targeted as part of that cyberattack, including websites belonging to the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, the Border Security Forces, and the Crime Research Investigation Agency.

This claim could not be independently verified by Al Jazeera. The Indian government has yet to comment.

First all-out war between nuclear-armed nations?

Charu Kasturi

So far, India and Pakistan have used missiles, drones, diplomacy and information to battle each other since the April 22, 2025 attack on Pahalgam, Indian-administered Kashmir, in which 26 civilians were killed.

But as they slide rapidly towards a full-blown military conflict, a dangerous reality stares not just at the 1.6 billion people of the two countries, but at the world: If an all-out war were to break out between them, it would be the first ever between two nuclear-armed nations.

India and Pakistan fought in the icy heights of Kargil in 1999, a year after the South Asian neighbours became nuclear states.

But that was a contained war: Already, in the past three days, India and Pakistan each claim to have hit much wider swaths of the other’s territory than was the case in 1999.

The last full war between India and Pakistan was in 1971, before either had tested a nuclear device.

And though the US and the Soviet Union were locked in the Cold War for more than 40 years, they carefully managed their tensions, including through a series of proxy wars in third countries, to avoid engaging in direct military conflict.

‘Tremendous fighting’ reported in Pakistan’s Sialkot

Osama Bin Javaid, Reporting from Lahore, Pakistan

We are getting reports that in the city of Sialkot, there’s been tremendous fighting near the disputed border.

In the last 48 hours, Pakistan has also reported that it has downed at least 77 drones.

Residents in Lahore and Karachi have also reported hearing sounds of explosions in the last few hours near densely populated areas.

This is where the concern is, that it is happening in civilian areas in both countries.

There have been efforts to find a way to de-escalate the situation, including efforts by the US secretary of state, as well as the Iranian and Saudi Arabian foreign ministers.

But Pakistan said that it has to respond and that it cannot sit silent amid the attack.

Five killed by Pakistani shelling in Jammu region: Reports

Earlier, we reported that Rajouri district commissioner in Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir region, Raj Kumar Thappa, was killed after the Pakistani military struck his home as part of a spate of shelling targeting Rajouri, Poonch and Jammu districts.

Citing local officials, The New Indian Express and National Herald newspapers now report that two more people – including a two-year-old child – were killed and three others were injured in the attack on Rajouri town.

A 55-year-old woman was also reportedly killed when a mortar shell struck her home in Kanghra-Galhutta village in Poonch district, while a resident of Bidipur Jatta village was killed in the R S Pura sector of Jammu district.

Al Jazeera has not been able to independently verify these claims. We will bring you more information when we have it.

Indian army denounces ‘blatant escalation’ in Pakistan’s deployment of drones

In a statement posted on X, India’s military said it detected “multiple enemy armed drones” flying over the Khasa Cantt military base in the Indian city of Amritsar early on Saturday.

“The hostile drones were instantly engaged and destroyed by our air defence units,” the statement said.

“Pakistan’s blatant attempt to violate India’s sovereignty and endanger civilians is unacceptable,” it added.

Here’s what you need to know:

Pakistan’s military has launched operation “Bunyan Marsoos”, roughly translated as “Wall of Lead,” carrying out what it described as retaliatory strikes against military sites in India and Indian-administered Kashmir.
    
Targets were said by Pakistan to include an airbase in the Indian city of Udhampur and an airfield in Pathankot, while a BrahMos missile’s storage site in Beas in India’s Punjab province was also targeted, according to Pakistan’s military.
    
Indian media are reporting that Pakistani shelling targeting Rajouri, Poonch and Jammu districts in Indian-administered Kashmir killed at least five people, including a district commissioner and a two-year-old child.
    
Pakistan’s state-run outlet PTV has claimed that India’s power grid was hit by a cyberattack launched as part of Bunyan Marsoos.
    
Pakistan’s military has said that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has called a meeting of the National Command Authority, the top civilian and military body which takes decisions related to the country’s nuclear arsenal.
    
India’s Ministry of Civil Aviation has announced the temporary closure of 32 airports across the country’s north and west for all civil flight operations due to the attacks.
    
The Group of Seven (G7) major countries urged restraint from both India and Pakistan and called on them to engage in direct dialogue.

Pakistan Army claims Indian counterparts hit by cyberattack

Abid Hussain, Reporting from Islamabad, Pakistan

Pakistan’s army has claimed a cyberattack caused disruption to the Indian military’s capabilities, including satellites.

The military claims to have “successfully jammed” Indian military satellites, including navigation and communication satellites, security sources said.

The cyberattack is also said to have targeted Indian government email servers and portals.

The Indian government has yet to comment on the claims.

US Secretary of State Rubio urges de-escalation in call with Pakistan Army chief: Spokesperson

In a statement, US State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said that Secretary of State Marco Rubio had spoken with Pakistan Army chief Asim Munir to discuss the latest situation in the region.

“He continued to urge both parties to find ways to de-escalate and offered US assistance in starting constructive talks in order to avoid future conflicts,” Bruce said.

‘Situation is difficult’ but no ground forces mobilised yet

Vivek Katju, a former Indian diplomat and columnist, has spoken to Al Jazeera, saying that for “much too long”, India had been patient with Pakistan. Now it had decided to take action amid an “unacceptable terrorist attack”.

The deadly attack in Indian-administered Kashmir’s Pahalgam on April 22 was such an attack, he said.

“I will get concerned if ground troops start getting mobilised. Neither country has done that,” Katju said.

“If you go back in history, in 2002 the Indian army was mobilised after the parliament was attacked. And that was a very close thing. But still no hostilities, no ground activities ensued,” he said.

“At the moment, as I said, yes, it’s a difficult situation but clearly the Pakistanis are using the old narrative that terrorism is fine – we practise it – but India should not respond. It should just absorb. That will not happen any more,” he added.

Pakistan has denied involvement in the April 22 attack and called for an independent investigation.

What are Pakistan’s Fateh missiles?

There have been reports that Pakistan has deployed its Fateh missiles during its military operation against India.

Pakistan’s advanced Fateh has two variants known as Fateh-1 and Fateh-2.

According to military experts, the Fateh-1 version is a short-range missile capable of striking targets up to 140km (87 miles) away. The Fateh-2 version is described as “more advanced” and can reach up to 400km (248 miles), according to reports.

Both variants are said to be surface-to-surface missiles.

The word Fateh roughly translates to “conqueror” or “victor” in Arabic.

US mission to Pakistan restricts all diplomatic personnel movement

The US Mission to Pakistan has “restricted all personnel movements” in light of recent attacks by Pakistan and India, adding that it will reassess the situation “this afternoon”.

“The US Department of State continues to remind US citizens of its standing ‘Do Not Travel’ advisory against all travel to areas near the India-Pakistan border and the Line of Control due to terrorism and the potential for armed conflict,” the State Department said in a post on X.

“If US citizens find themselves in an area of active conflict, they should leave if it is safe to do so. If they cannot leave safely, they should shelter in place,” it added.

‘Deep concern’: China offers help to resolve India-Pakistan conflict

Beijing “is closely monitoring the current situation between India and Pakistan”, China’s Foreign Ministry says in a statement, while cautioning against taking actions that could further escalate the tensions.

China urged both countries to prioritise “peace and stability” and observe calm and restraint, and return to the path of resolving issues through peaceful political means.

The ministry added that China remains willing to continue playing a constructive role to resolve the matter.

China is a key player in the region, but is seen as closer to Pakistan, considering its own border tensions with India.

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