India strikes Pakistan in wake of Kashmir massacre. Pakistan says 3 Indian planes downed
India strikes Pakistan in wake of Kashmir massacre. Pakistan says 3 Indian planes downed
By Rhea Mogul, Sophia Saifi, Aishwarya S. Iyer, Aditi Sangal, Elise Hammond, Tori B. Powell and Helen Regan, CNN
Updated 7:55 PM EDT, Tue May 6, 2025
Loud explosions heard in Pakistan-administered Kashmir as India launches attack
00:32
Here’s what’s happening
• Missiles launched: India said early Wednesday it had launched a military operation against Pakistan, hitting “terrorist infrastructure” in both Pakistan and Pakistan administered-Kashmir, in a major escalation between the two neighbors.
• Downed planes: Three Indian Air Force planes and a drone were shot down in locations “within Indian territory,” Pakistani sources said. CNN cannot independently the claims and has reached out to the Indian Ministry of Defence.
• Blast in Srinagar: A blast was also heard in the city of Srinagar in Indian-administered Kashmir, eyewitnesses told CNN. Srinagar is the largest city in Indian-administered Kashmir.
• Kashmir dispute: India, which has a Hindu majority, and Pakistan, which is mostly Muslim, each control parts of Kashmir but claim it in full and have fought three wars over the territory. Kashmir is one of the most militarized places in the world.
• Attack on civilians: The latest escalation comes after gunmen massacred 26 civilians in Indian-controlled Kashmir last month. India accused Pakistan of being involved in the attack and vowed to retaliate against those they deemed responsible. Islamabad denies the accusations.
Enter your email to sign up for breaking news updates from CNN.
Sign up for breaking news updates from CNN.
By signing up, you agree to our
and
Privacy Policy.Sign upAllcatch up
24 Posts32 min ago
UN Secretary-General urges India and Pakistan to “avoid a military confrontation”
From CNN’s Aditi Sangal
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres condemned the April attack in Kashmir, and urged India and Pakistan to “avoid a military confrontation that could easily spin out of control.”
“Make no mistake: A military solution is no solution,” Guterres wrote in a post on X, noting that tensions between the two neighbors are “at their highest in years.”
Here’s the latest on what we know about India’s strikes deep inside Pakistan today
From CNN staff
At least three Indian Air Force planes have been shot down, Pakistani security and government sources have told CNN, in the latest in the latest escalation between the two countries.
It comes shortly after India said it launched a military operation in Pakistan, hitting “terrorist infrastructure.”
At least eight people were killed, Pakistan said.
Meantime, a blast was also heard in the city of Srinagar, the largest city in Indian-administrated Kashmir, according to eyewitnesses.
Here’s what we know so far:
- Pakistan’s response: A senior Pakistani intelligence source said three Indian jets were shot down in locations “within Indian territory,” as well as a drone. CNN cannot independently verify the claim. Pakistani Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif said the country “has every right” to respond.
- Targets: India said nine sites in total were targeted. Pakistan said five locations were struck, three of them in Pakistan-administered Kashmir and two in Pakistan’s Punjab province. Those in Punjab are Ahmadpur East and Muridke.
- Historical context: India’s strikes are the deepest New Delhi has ventured into Pakistan’s undisputed borders since the Indo-Pakistani war of 1971.
- Global reaction: Senior India officials have spoken to their counterparts in a number of countries to brief them on the steps taken by New Delhi, according to a senior Indian government official.
- Airspaces closed: Pakistan issued a notice closing airspace around Lahore, in the country’s north, and the coastal city of Karachi. Major Indian airline IndiGo reported impacted flights in and out of Jammu, Srinagar, Amritsar, Leh, Chandigarh, Dharamshala and Bikaner. SpiceJet, another airline, also said some airports in northern India are closed “until further notice.”
- Why Kashmir is important: Kashmir is one of the world’s most dangerous flashpoints and is controlled in part by India and Pakistan but both countries claim it in its entirety. The two nuclear-armed rivals have fought three wars over the mountainous territory.
CNN’s Elise Hammond, Aditi Sangal, Sophia Saifi, Rhea Mogul, Max Saltman, Avery Schmitz and Thomas Bordeaux and reporter Vedika Sud contributed reporting to this post.
CNN correspondent in Pakistan describes India’s attack
Pakistan claims a third Indian aircraft and drone were shot down
From CNN’s Sophia Saifi and Nic Robertson
A third Indian aircraft has been shot down by Pakistan, Pakistani security and government sources have told CNN.
A senior Pakistani intelligence source said three Indian jets were shot down in locations “within Indian territory,” as well as a drone.
A separate senior Pakistan government source confirmed that three aircraft and a drone were shot down.
CNN cannot independently verify the claims and is reaching out to the Indian government and military for a response.
This is the deepest India has struck inside Pakistan’s undisputed borders since the Indo-Pakistani war of 1971
From CNN’s Sophia Saifi and Rhea Mogul
India’s strikes against Pakistan are the deepest New Delhi has ventured into Pakistan’s undisputed borders since the Indo-Pakistani war of 1971.
Pakistan on Wednesday said five locations were struck by India, three of them in Pakistan-administered Kashmir and two in Pakistan’s Punjab province.
The locations in Punjab are Ahmadpur East and Muridke.
The 1971 Indo-Pakistani War was a major military conflict between India and Pakistan that led to the creation of Bangladesh.
The last time India struck inside Pakistan’s undisputed borders was in 2019, when Indian jets conducted airstrikes on several targets after it blamed Islamabad for a suicide car bomb attack that killed at least 40 Indian paramilitary personnel in the region.
https://ix.cnn.io/dailygraphics/graphics/20241023-kashmir-disputed-border-map/index.html?initialWidth=709&childId=cms.cnn.com/_components/graphic/instances/cmad413st00083b6q1rvpuqpa@published&parentTitle=Live%20updates%3A%20India%20attack%20on%20Pakistan%20in%20wake%20of%20Kashmir%20massacre%2C%20airspaces%20closed%20around%20Lahore%20%7C%20CNN&parentUrl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cnn.com%2Fworld%2Flive-news%2Findia-pakistan-attack-kashmir-tourists-intl-hnk
Blast heard inside Indian-administered Kashmir
From CNN Staff
A blast was heard in the city of Srinagar in Indian-administered Kashmir early Wednesday, eyewitnesses told CNN.
The cause of the blast is not yet known. Srinagar is the largest city in Indian-administered Kashmir.
Reports of the blast come after India launched a military operation against Pakistan, in a major escalation between the two neighbors following a massacre on tourists inside Indian-administered Kashmir.
India and Pakistan each control parts of Kashmir but claim it in full and have fought three wars over the territory. Kashmir is one of the most militarized places in the world.
Wednesday’s strikes by India are the most significant military actions since 2019, when Indian jets conducted airstrikes on several targets inside Pakistan.
“Victory to India!” India’s defense minister responds to military operation
From CNN staff
India’s Minister of Defense has publicly responded to the military operation launched against Pakistan.
“Victory to India!” Rajnath Singh wrote on X in Hindi, in a short statement.
Senior officials in India have briefed counterparts in other countries, senior government source says
From reporter Vedika Sud in New Delhi
Senior India officials have spoken to their counterparts in a number of countries to brief them on the steps taken by New Delhi, a senior Indian government official told CNN.
Among the countries briefed were the United States, United Kingdom, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and Russia.
Pakistan tells CNN it has shot down 2 Indian Air Force aircraft
From CNN’s Jerome Taylor
Pakistan’s military claims it has shot down two Indian Air Force aircraft.
“There are two confirmed aircraft of the Indian Air Force have already been shot down,” Lt. Gen. Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, spokesperson for the Pakistani military, told CNN’s Jim Sciutto. “There are other reports of multiple damages that the Pakistani forces, both on ground and air, have inflicted. But I can confirm you at least two aircraft of Indian Air Force that have been downed,” he added.
CNN cannot independently confirm Chaudhry’s claims that Indian planes were shot down. We are reaching out to the Indian Ministry of Defence for comment.
The locations of the engagement are “around Bhatinda” and Akhnoor, Chaudhry added, noting that there is an engagement “already ongoing between the two air forces.”
Bhatinda is a small town in the Indian state of Punjab that borders Pakistan and Akhnoor is located in the Indian union territory of Jammu and Kashmir.
Flights reroute as Pakistan closes airspace around Lahore and Karachi
From CNN’s Max Saltman, Avery Schmitz and Thomas Bordeaux
Pakistan issued a notice Tuesday night closing airspace around Lahore, in the country’s north, and the coastal city of Karachi amid airstrikes from India. The notice went into effect at 4:30 p.m. ET and is scheduled to expire on at 2:30 p.m. ET on Wednesday.
The notice to airmen, also known as a NOTAM, appears to have diverted numerous flights with routes planned through or near Pakistani airspace, according to flight data reviewed by CNN from FlightRadar24.
Citing the “changing airspace conditions in the region,” major Indian airline IndiGo reported impacted flights in and out of Jammu, Srinagar, Amritsar, Leh, Chandigarh, Dharamshala and Bikaner. SpiceJet, another airline, said some airports in northern India are closed “until further notice.”
As tensions between India and Pakistan increased in recent weeks after an April mass shooting in the disputed Kashmir territory, numerous airlines have avoided flying over Pakistan, including Air France and Lufthansa.
India launched a military operation against Pakistan today. Here’s what we know so far
From CNN’s Aditi Sangal
Local residents and members of the media examine a building damaged by a suspected Indian missile attack near Muzaffarabad, the capital of Pakistan controlled Kashmir, on Wednesday, May 7. M.D. Mughal/AP
India said early Wednesday it had launched a military operation against Pakistan, hitting “terrorist infrastructure” in Pakistan and Pakistan administered-Kashmir.
Relations between India and Pakistan have cratered in recent weeks following a deadly rampage by gunmen who murdered 26 people, the majority Indian tourists, at a scenic spot in Kashmir. Read more about the attack.
Here’s what you need to know:
Targets: India said nine sites in total were targeted. Pakistan said five locations were struck, three of them in Pakistan-administered Kashmir and two in Pakistan’s Punjab province.
Casualties: At least three people were killed, Pakistan said.
What India has said since: “Justice is Served,” the Indian Army wrote on X in a short statement, its first since the operation’s launch. “Jai Hind!” (Victory to India)
Pakistan’s response: Pakistan’s military claims it has shot down two Indian Air Force aircraft. CNN cannot independently verify the claim. Pakistani Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif said the country “has every right to give a befitting reply to this act of war imposed by India and a befitting reply is being given.” A military spokesperson said the country “will respond to it at a time and place of its own choosing.”
Flashpoint: Kashmir is one of the world’s most dangerous flashpoints and is controlled in part by India and Pakistan but both countries claim it in its entirety. The two nuclear-armed rivals have fought three wars over the mountainous territory that is now divided by a de-facto border called the Line of Control (LOC) since their independence from Britain nearly 80 years ago.
https://ix.cnn.io/dailygraphics/graphics/20241023-kashmir-disputed-border-map/index.html?initialWidth=709&childId=cms.cnn.com/_components/graphic/instances/cmad2ooq100073b6p37dnyv0o@published&parentTitle=Live%20updates%3A%20India%20attack%20on%20Pakistan%20in%20wake%20of%20Kashmir%20massacre%2C%20airspaces%20closed%20around%20Lahore%20%7C%20CNN&parentUrl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cnn.com%2Fworld%2Flive-news%2Findia-pakistan-attack-kashmir-tourists-intl-hnk
Pakistan responds to India’s strikes, saying it was an “unprovoked and blatant act of war”
Pakistan has called India’s strikes an “unprovoked and blatant act of war” in a statement early Wednesday.
“The Indian Air Force, while remaining within Indian airspace, has violated Pakistan’s sovereignty using standoff weapons, targeting civilian population across international border in Muridke and Bahawalpur, and across Line of Control in Kotli and Muzaffarabad,” a statement from Pakistan’s foreign ministry said.
“India’s act of aggression has resulted in martyrdom of civilians, including women and children. This act of aggression has also caused grave threat to commercial air traffic.”
India early Wednesday said it launched a military operation against Pakistan, hitting “terrorist infrastructure” in both Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir, in a major escalation between the two neighbors.
The attacks come more than two weeks after a massacre on tourists in Indian-administered Kashmir that New Delhi blamed on its neighbor — a claim Islamabad denies.
Pakistan has a right to reply to “act of war” by India, prime minister says
From CNN’s Sophia Saifi
Pakistani Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif said the country “has every right to give a befitting reply to this act of war imposed by India and a befitting reply is being given.”
“The Pakistani nation and the Pakistani Armed Forces know how to deal with the enemy very well,” the prime minister’s office said in a statement. “The enemy will never be allowed to succeed in his nefarious objectives.”
The prime minister called a meeting with the National Security Committee following the military operation, according to the Federal Minister of Information.
This is the first Indian attack on Pakistan since 2019 with multiple locations struck, including inside Pakistan’s undisputed borders
From CNN’s Rhea Mogul
A frame from a video shared on social media shows the moment of strike in Bahawalpur, eastern Pakistan on Wednesday, May 7. From X
Pakistani military sources told CNN that India’s strikes hit five locations inside Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir.
The locations are Kotli, Ahmadpur East, Muzaffarabad, Bagh, and Muridke.
Of these, Ahmadpur East and Muridke are particularly significant as they are in Pakistan’s Punjab province – inside the country’s undisputed borders.
Wednesday’s attacks are the first time since 2019 that India has conducted strikes inside Pakistan’s territory, when Indian jets targeted multiple locations after it blamed Islamabad for a suicide car bomb attack that killed at least 40 Indian paramilitary personnel in the region.
That retaliation itself was particularly fraught because it was the first time India had struck inside Pakistan’s undisputed borders since the two sides fought a war in 1971.
India has now taken that significant step again.
Kotli, Muzaffarabad and Bagh are in Pakistan-administered Kashmir – a mountainous, contested region controlled by Islamabad but also claimed by India. It is an area that has seen frequent periods of military contact and skirmishes between Indian and Pakistani troops.
US President Trump says India strikes on Pakistan are “a shame”
From CNN’s Samantha Waldenberg and Jennifer Hansler
President Donald Trump speaks during a swearing-in ceremony in the Oval Office at the White House on Tuesday. Kent Nishimura/Reuters
United States President Donald Trump called India’s confirmed military operation against Pakistan “a shame” and that he just learned of the news ahead of his Oval Office event Tuesday evening.
“It’s a shame. We just heard about it, just as we were walking in the doors of the Oval, just heard about it. I guess people knew something was going to happen based on a little bit of the past, they’ve been fighting for a long time, you know, they’ve been fighting for many, many decades and centuries,” the president said after overseeing the swearing-in ceremony for his special envoy, Steve Witkoff.
“I just hope it ends very quickly,” Trump said.
India said early Wednesday it had launched a military operation against Pakistan, hitting “terrorist infrastructure” in both Pakistan and Pakistan administered-Kashmir, in a major escalation between the two countries.
The US State Department also said it is “closely monitoring developments,” according to a spokesperson Tuesday.
“We are aware of the reports, however we have no assessment to offer at this time,” the spokesperson said. “This remains an evolving situation, and we are closely monitoring developments.”
Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke with top officials from both countries last week as tensions rapidly escalated after a massacre in Indian-controlled Kashmir. Rubio encouraged India and Pakistan to work with each other to “de-escalate tensions,” according to State Department readouts of the two calls on April 30.
Pakistani defense minister responds to India’s military operation
From CNN’s Hira Humayun and Tori B. Powell
Pakistani Defense Minister Khawaja Asif told Geo News that “civilians were killed, including women and children” in India’s military operation.
“India is claiming it attacked terrorist camps; this is not true, international media can visit the places civilians were targeted,” Asif said in a statement.
“Justice is served”: Indian army responds to military operation
From CNN’s Rhea Mogul
The Indian Army on Wednesday released its first public comments since India launched a military operation inside Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir.
“Justice is Served,” the Indian Army wrote on X in a short statement. “Jai Hind!” (Victory to India)
What you need to know about Kashmir
From CNN’s Rhea Mogul
Kashmir has been a flashpoint in India-Pakistan relations since both gained their independence from Britain in 1947.
The two nations to emerge from the bloody partition of British India both claim Kashmir in full, and months after becoming independent, fought their first of three wars over the territory.
The divided region is now one of the most militarized places in the world.
https://ix.cnn.io/dailygraphics/graphics/20241023-kashmir-disputed-border-map/index.html?initialWidth=709&childId=cms.cnn.com/_components/graphic/instances/cma087h4o00043b6m0x3ik7cz@published&parentTitle=Live%20updates%3A%20India%20attack%20on%20Pakistan%20in%20wake%20of%20Kashmir%20massacre%2C%20airspaces%20closed%20around%20Lahore%20%7C%20CNN&parentUrl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cnn.com%2Fworld%2Flive-news%2Findia-pakistan-attack-kashmir-tourists-intl-hnk
For decades, several domestic militant groups, demanding either independence for Kashmir or for the area to become part of Pakistan, have fought Indian security forces, leaving tens of thousands killed in the violence.
But attacks on tourists in the picturesque Himalayan region are rare.
Tensions between India Pakistan over Kashmir have surged in recent years, after Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu nationalist government revoked its constitutional autonomy in 2019, bringing it under the direct control of New Delhi.
Here’s what happened last month in Kashmir that triggered today’s operation
From CNN’s Aditi Sangal
Security personnel patrol a street the morning a reported attack on tourists near Pahalgam in Indian controlled Kashmir, on April 23. Dar Yasin/AP
India said early Wednesday it had launched a military operation against Pakistan, hitting “terrorist infrastructure” in both Pakistan and Pakistan administered-Kashmir, in a major escalation of tensions between the two neighbors and in response to an attack on tourists in India-administered Kashmir on April 22.
Here’s what you need to know about the attack:
What happened: Gunmen opened fire on tourists in a popular travel destination in the mountainous destination of Pahalgam in Indian-administered Kashmir. At least 25 Indian citizens and one Nepali national were killed in the massacre, which unfolded in a valley only accessible by foot or on horseback. Eyewitnesses described scenes of horror as the gunmen approached, opening fire on people from close range. Some recalled how the men among the group were singled out and shot at. Other survivors told local media the gunmen accused some of the victims of supporting Prime Minister Modi.
Who claimed responsibility: Kashmir Resistance, also known as The Resistance Front (TRF), claimed responsibility for the attack on social media but it has reportedly since walked back that claim, according to multiple local media reports. Pakistan has denied involvement. India has not publicly blamed any group for the attack but has justified its retaliatory moves as a response to Pakistan’s alleged “support for cross-border terrorism.”
Some background: India has long accused Pakistan of harboring Islamist militant groups that target Kashmir, something Islamabad denies. Attacks by militants have in the past led to a sharp escalation of tensions between the two nuclear-armed neighbors, both of whom have rival claims to the Himalayan region. India conducted air strikes inside Pakistan in 2019 following an insurgent attack on Indian soldiers.
https://ix.cnn.io/dailygraphics/graphics/20241023-kashmir-disputed-border-map/index.html?initialWidth=709&childId=cms.cnn.com/_components/graphic/instances/cmad0d2of000h3b6n6t2h7ywm@published&parentTitle=Live%20updates%3A%20India%20attack%20on%20Pakistan%20in%20wake%20of%20Kashmir%20massacre%2C%20airspaces%20closed%20around%20Lahore%20%7C%20CNN&parentUrl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cnn.com%2Fworld%2Flive-news%2Findia-pakistan-attack-kashmir-tourists-intl-hnk
At least 3 killed by Indian strikes in Pakistan, military spokesperson says
From CNN’s Hira Humayun and Caitlin Danaher
Three people, including a child, have been killed by Indian strikes in Pakistan, the country’s military spokesperson Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry told Pakistani outlet Geo TV.
Chaudhry also told Geo TV that mosques were targeted.
“The attacks on mosques indicate [Indian Prime Minister Narendra] Modi and RSS’s Hindutva mentality,” Chaudhry said referring to Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), a right-wing paramilitary organization that advocates Hindu supremacy within India.
Tension has ratched up between India and Pakistan after last month’s massacre in Indian-controlled Kashmir
From CNN’s Rhea Mogul
Kashmir, one of the world’s most dangerous flashpoints, is controlled in part by India and Pakistan but both countries claim it in its entirety.
The two nuclear-armed rivals have fought three wars over the mountainous territory that is now divided by a de-facto border called the Line of Control (LOC) since their independence from Britain nearly 80 years ago.
Tensions ratcheted up again after gunmen massacred 26 civilians in Pahalgam in Indian-controlled Kashmir on last month, the deadliest assault on Indians in recent years.
India has accused Pakistan of being involved in the Pahalgam attack — a claim Islamabad denies. Pakistan has offered a neutral investigation into the incident.
The massacre sparked immediate widespread anger in India and Prime Minister Narendra Modi had been under tremendous pressure to retaliate with force.
In the days after the Pahalgam attack, both countries swiftly downgraded ties with each other and have been since been engaging in escalating tit-for-tat hostilities.
India ordered its citizens to return from Pakistan, shut a major border crossing and suspended its involvement in a crucial water sharing treaty that has been in force since 1960.
Pakistan suspended trade with India and expelled Indian diplomats. It said that that any attempt to stop or divert water belonging to Pakistan would be considered an “act of war.”
Both countries have also shut their airspace to each other.
New Delhi and Islamabad had also been flexing their military might as tensions simmered along the LOC with small exchanges of fire across the demarcation in recent days. Both sides have also closed their air spaces to each other’s airlines.
https://ix.cnn.io/dailygraphics/graphics/20241023-kashmir-disputed-border-map/index.html?initialWidth=709&childId=cms.cnn.com/_components/graphic/instances/cmad0432h00063b6nemfn6t61@published&parentTitle=Live%20updates%3A%20India%20attack%20on%20Pakistan%20in%20wake%20of%20Kashmir%20massacre%2C%20airspaces%20closed%20around%20Lahore%20%7C%20CNN&parentUrl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cnn.com%2Fworld%2Flive-news%2Findia-pakistan-attack-kashmir-tourists-intl-hnk
Ad Feedback
Ad Feedback
