Pakistan’s armed forces, early on Saturday, launched Operation Bunyan Al Marsoos (Ironclad Wall) against India—targeting airbases, cyber assets, a supply depot, and munitions storage—in retaliation to Delhi’s early morning attacks on three airbases of the country.
According to security sources and state media, Pakistan struck the Adampur, Udhampur, Pathankot, Suratgarh, Sirsa, and Bhatinda airfields. They claimed that the Pakistan Air Force JF-17’s hypersonic missiles had destroyed India’s S-400 system in Adampur to denials from India. They also said Pakistan’s forces had destroyed the Indian military intelligence’s training center in India-held Rajouri, as well as the KG Top Brigade headquarters across the Line of Control (LoC).
The Rajouri center, per officials, was responsible for orchestrating terrorism in Pakistan.
Further, security sources said Operation Bunyan Al Marsoos, commencing around 5 a.m. and ongoing, had struck the Uri field supply depot; an artillery gun position in Dehrangyari; a BrahMos storage site in Beas; and an aviation base in Akhnoor.
The sources said three missiles struck the Udhampur Air Force station. Located in India-held Kashmir, the airbase is the headquarters of Indian Army’s Northern Command and reportedly stores several Rafael fighter jets. The BrahMos storage site in Beas, meanwhile, reportedly held the missiles used by India to target Pakistan’s airbases earlier this morning. Senior officials maintained the retaliatory strikes had targeted every location used to stage attacks on Pakistan this week.
Pakistan reportedly used its Fatah-1 missile for the strikes. The Fatah-1 is a precision-guided, long-range rocket system with a range of 140km, capable of engaging targets deep in enemy territory.
The security sources also claimed to have made dysfunctional 70 percent of India’s electricity grid through a cyberattack. The cyber offensive, they said, had included hacking of several websites linked to the Indian government and the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Among the websites hacked were the BJP’s official website; the Crime Research Investigation Agency; the Mahanagar Telecommunication Company Limited; Bharat Earth Movers Limited; All India Naval Technical Supervisory Staff Association; Hindustan Aeronautics Limited; Border Security Forces; and Unique Identification Authority of India. The sources maintained data of all these websites was recovered and was now available to Pakistan.
Independent verification of the claims of security sources are pending, though some segments of the Indian media have confirmed explosions at the targeted airbases. Pakistan has also issued videos of the aftermath of the retaliation at several airbases, though the extent of the damage remains unclear.
India’s Response
In a joint press conference of India’s ministries of External Affairs and Defense, spokespersons confirmed that Pakistan had targeted 26 sites, naming the sites already identified as targets by Pakistan. They said Pakistan had targeted military installations—as already asserted by Islamabad—and civilian infrastructure, claiming in “retaliation” India had targeted military infrastructure in Pakistan. However, they rejected Pakistan’s assertion that the S-400 system in Adampur or the BrahMos storage site had been destroyed, declaring it “disinformation.”
The Indian spokespersons claimed that India did not wish to inflame tensions, provided Pakistan did likewise. The press conference also highlighted images of various airbases, with India maintaining they remained undamaged.
No Choice
As the retaliatory strike played out, multiple sources confirmed that Pakistani and Indian fighter jets engaged in dogfights, particularly in the skies over the Line of Control. Both India and Pakistan have announced that the exchange concluded without any losses to either side.
The civil-military leadership of Pakistan has indicated that if India indulges in any further escalatory attacks, the armed forces will retaliate by targeting “high value” sites, including those related to the economy. However, they have stressed, following the retaliation in accordance with Article 51 of the U.N. Charter, Pakistan does not wish to pursue any further escalation unless pushed to do so.
Speaking with Geo News, Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar said Pakistan has been operating on the defensive and had no choice but to retaliate to India’s aggression. Stressing that Islamabad cannot let India claim hegemony, he said Operation Bunyan Al Marsoos would end or continue as per India’s response. “Pakistan had no choice, so our civil military leadership made the decision following the attack on Nur Khan Airbase. No more patience. We are just giving them a response,” he added.
“The action that the Pakistan civil-military leadership has taken is proportionate,” he continued. “Many more actions can be taken, and we are ready for that, but this is minimum action being taken just now, which will be continued for a while. This is proportionate and measured, and everything that they’ve done, we are taking revenge for it,” he added, reiterating that Pakistan had shot own five fighter jets that had entered Pakistani airspace earlier this week.
He also emphasized that India had used intermediaries to seek de-escalation for several days. However, he regretted, Delhi would resort to further strikes and incursions after every such request. He prayed that with the public’s support and Allah’s blessings, the country would soon emerge victorious.
Editor’s Note: This story is still developing and will be updated as more information becomes available.