Pakistan, for the second consecutive night, launched swarm drone attacks on multiple locations across several North Indian cities of Punjab, Jammu and Kashmir and Rajasthan. At the time of going to press, the Indian air defence systems were able to successfully neutralise the threat.
According to ground reports, a suspected drone attack was also reported from Srinagar airport and in the holy city of Amritsar near the revered Golden Temple late Friday evening. Both these attacks were thwarted successfully.
The attack came a day after India thwarted attempts by the Pakistan military to hit Indian military installations and religious sites using drones and missiles., The sky was lit up in the Baramulla district as the Indian military shot down Pakistani drones. Blasts were heard and sirens sounded in the Jammu region and south Kashmir as many parts of the Union Territory plunged into darkness. In Srinagar, mosque loudspeakers were used to persuade locals to switch off their lights as a precautionary measure.
Officials said the drones were also engaged in Udhampur and Nagrota of Jammu and Punjab. Heavy cross-border shelling was underway along the International Border (IB) in Suchetgarh and Ramgarh sectors of Jammu and Samba districts.
From Srinagar and Jammu to Punjab's multiple districts and Jaisalmer and Jodhpur in Rajasthan, a vast stretch of the border areas plunged into darkness with public announcements made, urging people to switch off their lights as a precautionary measure. According to defence sources, “Drones have been sighted at 26 locations ranging from Baramulla in the North to Bhuj in the South, along both the International Border and the Line of Control with Pakistan. These include suspected armed drones posing potential threats to civilian and military targets”.
“The locations include Baramulla, Srinagar, Avantipora, Nagrota, Jammu, Ferozpur, Pathankot, Fazilka, Lalgarh Jatta, Jaisalmer, Barmer, Bhuj, Kuarbet and Lakhi Nala”, they added.
Sirens rang out in Pokaran, and a complete blackout was imposed in the region. The blackout in Jodhpur, originally scheduled to begin at midnight, was implemented immediately. Barmer, Sriganganagar, and Phalodi also went completely dark.
According to them, an armed drone targeted a civilian area in Ferozpur, resulting in severe injuries to members of a local family. The injured have been provided medical assistance, and the area has been sanitised by security forces.
Defence sources maintained the Indian Armed Forces are maintaining a high state of alert, and all such aerial threats are being tracked and engaged using counter-drone systems. The situation is under close and constant watch, and prompt action is being taken wherever necessary.
Earlier, the alert troops of the Border Security Force (BSF) foiled a major infiltration attempt along the International Border in Jammu and Kashmir's Samba district in the early hours of Friday, killing seven heavily armed terrorists.
The beleaguered Pakistan army had also fired 300-400 drones on Thursday across several Indian cities. The attacks were intercepted by India's air defence systems, including the S-400 missile defence system, preventing significant damage. “On the night of May 7 and 8, the Pakistan army violated Indian airspace several times over the entire western border to target military infrastructure. Not only this, the Pakistani army also fired heavy-calibre weapons along the Line of Control. Around 300 to 400 drones were used to attempt infiltration at 36 locations,” said the Government.
“The possible purpose of such large-scale aerial intrusions was to test air defence systems and collect intelligence. Forensic investigation of the wreckage of the drones is being done. Initial reports suggest that they are Turkish Asisguard Songar drones...” the Government added.
In Jammu, the drone attack was launched by the Pakistan army around 8.00 p.m. Jammu city plunged into darkness after blasts were heard and sirens sounded in the region.
“Intermittent sounds of blasts, probably heavy artillery, can now be heard from where I am,” Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said in a post on X.He also posted a picture of the city in darkness, captioning the post as, “Blackout in Jammu now. Sirens can be heard across the city.” “It's my earnest appeal to everyone in & around Jammu please stay off the streets, stay at home or at the nearest place you can comfortably stay at for the next few hours. Ignore rumours, don't spread unsubstantiated or unverified stories & we will get through this together,” the Chief Minister added.
In Samba, the major infiltration bid was supported by the Pakistani Rangers. According to BSF, adequate cover fire was provided to the group of terrorists from a nearby Dhandhar post of the Pakistani Rangers The suspicious movement of a heavily armed group of infiltrators was caught on camera with the help of thermal imagers by the BSF troops around 11.00 p.m. near the Samba border.
Confirming the same, the BSF spokesman of the Jammu frontier posted on X, “At around 2300 hours on 8 May 2025, BSF foiled a major infiltration bid at the International Boundary in Samba district, J&K”.
A video also showed BSF troops causing extensive damage to the Pakistani post Dhandhar while killing at least seven terrorists to foil a major infiltration bid.
Tension between the two neighbours soared after the Indian Armed Forces on Wednesday conducted precision strikes targeting terror launchpads in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, PoK, in response to the April 22 attack.
