The Directors General of Military Operations (DGMOs) of the three Indian Armed Forces briefed the country and exposed Pakistan to the world with full documentary evidence following the events of May 2025. The Indian Air Force (IAF) air strikes against a large number of military targets deep inside Pakistan forced the security establishment in Islamabad and Rawalpindi to seek an immediate ceasefire. There was no evidence to confirm that India‘s strikes on Pakistan‘s Kirana Hills might have hit underground nuclear sites, a prospect that had initially raised global alarm over regional nuclear security. India and Pakistan reached an understanding on 10 May 2025 to stop all firing and military actions on land, in the air, and at sea, with immediate effect—an agreement that has largely held into mid-2026 despite minor border frictions. The IAF formally stated in May 2025 that it had successfully executed its assigned tasks with precision and professionalism, in line with national objectives, during Operation Sindoor. The military operations were conducted in a “deliberate and discreet manner, aligned with national objectives.” In the early hours of 7 May 2025, India launched precision strikes on nine terror targets in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK) following the tragic Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 innocent tourists. The strikes killed nearly 130 terrorists, including at least 10 family members of Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) chief Masood Azhar, and four of his close aides. The strikes hit at the heart of Pakistani terror. India had identified many more terror targets, holding them in reserve as a strategic deterrent, a posture it continues to maintain.
In this age of lightning-speed internet and hyperactive social media, while nations engage in conflict, it is also a war of narrative building by specially trained “information warriors.” Additionally, armchair analysts, military veterans, and emotion-filled nationalists often become opinion “trigger-happy.” There is also a global strategic and military-industrial complex commercial play. The success or failure of military equipment in combat can directly affect equipment orders. Geopolitics prompts countries to take tacit sides. Many countries see opportunities in the wars of others. Consequently, a very high amount of misinformation was generated during and immediately after the conflict. Innocent, uninformed citizens got sucked into emotive conversations and reactions. Retrospective analysis conducted over the past year has reinforced how critical it is that the actions, results, and lessons of combat be analysed only after authentic data becomes available.
The Opening Terror Strikes
India‘s security establishment decided that to hit targets deep in Pakistan, the IAF was the best instrument. The opening air strikes on nine targets on 7 May 2025 successfully hit the camps and infrastructure of militant groups JeM and Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT). The targets included Markaz Subhan Allah in Bahawalpur, the main JeM centre for training and indoctrination, as well as its operational headquarters. The facility included the residences of JeM chief Maulana Masood Azhar and his family members. Markaz Taiba in Muridke was the main training centre for the LeT. It provided arms training and religious indoctrination for recruits from within and outside Pakistan. Sarjal / Tehra Kalan in Punjab was a JeM launching facility used for tunnel construction, drone operations, and the smuggling of arms and narcotics. The Mehmoona Joya Facility in Sialkot belonged to the Hizbul Mujahideen (HM). Markaz Ahle Hadith in Barnala, Bhimber, was one of the important LeT centres in PoJK. Markaz Abbas in Kotli was a JeM facility led by Hafiz Abdul Shakoor. Maskar Raheel Shahid in Kotli was an HM facility capable of housing 150–200 militants. This camp specialised in arms training, sniping, Border Action Team (BAT) actions, and survival skills in hilly terrain. The Shawai Nallah Camp in Muzaffarabad was a LeT camp where the perpetrators of the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks had trained. Finally, Markaz Syedna Bilal in Muzaffarabad served as the main JeM centre in PoJK. These terrorist groups historically received military-grade weapons, communication equipment, and training from the Pakistan Army.
The attacks were carried out by IAF aircraft using SCALP missiles and AASM Hammer glide bombs over a 23-minute duration. Furthermore, BrahMos cruise missiles as well as the Indian Army‘s Indo-Israeli SkyStriker loitering munitions were also used in the operation. Pakistan subsequently acknowledged that the strikes were conducted without Indian aircraft entering Pakistani airspace. The Indian government described the strikes as “focused, measured, and non-escalatory.” No Pakistani military facilities or civilians were targeted during this initial phase. Post-strike intelligence assessments confirmed that over 31 high-value individuals had been killed in the initial barrage.
Operation Bunyan al-Marsus and Indian Response
Pakistan had already opened a barrage of small arms and artillery guns across the Line of Control (LoC). India responded robustly. Bunyan al-Marsus translates from the Quran as “a wall constructed of molten lead.” The operation was officially named on 10 May 2025. Both sides claimed civilian loss of life. Pakistan responded by striking several cities throughout India using homemade, Chinese, and Turkish drones, alongside a variety of cruise missiles. Later, Pakistan began targeting numerous military installations, including a large number of IAF airfields from Srinagar down to Bhuj and Naliya in Gujarat. There was no significant damage to the ground, although a tragic loss of two to three civilians occurred. India utilised its integrated anti-drone systems grid designed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) to “detect, deter, and destroy” adversary drones. The Pakistani missiles and drones were successfully taken down by the Indian military’s S-400, Akash, Pechora, L-70, and ZSU-23-4 Shilka air defence systems, as well as by other systems deployed by the Border Security Force (BSF). This marked India‘s first combat use of the S-400 Sudarshan Chakra missile system, and it proved highly effective. The IAF also launched a massive air strike, using Israeli Harop loitering munitions, to neutralise air defence systems near Lahore. These targets included the main radar and the Chinese HQ-9 surface-to-air missiles (SAMs). This conflict became the first major “drone war” between the nuclear-armed neighbours. The performance of the Israeli-Indian drones was clearly noteworthy and has since shaped Indian Armed Forces procurement doctrines throughout early 2026. There were also verified claims of cyberattacks. Additionally, Pakistan launched a Fatah-II guided artillery rocket aimed at New Delhi, which was intercepted near Sirsa Air Force Station in Haryana.
India’s Very Successful Strikes on Military Targets
On 10 May 2025, India undertook counter-strikes deep into Pakistan, hitting military targets in Islamabad, Lahore, and Rawalpindi, as well as three Pakistan Air Force (PAF) bases: Nur Khan, Rafiqi, and Murid. Multiple explosions were heard across Pakistan. Targets included technical infrastructure, command and control centres, radar sites, and weapon storage areas at Murid, Chaklala (Rawalpindi), Rahim Yar Khan, Sukkur, and Chunian in Punjab. Radar sites at Pasrur and the Sialkot aviation base, as well as strategic airbases at Skardu, Bholari, Jacobabad, and Sargodha, were hit. All were targeted using precision munitions. The battle damage assessment (BDA) was extensively photographed, and images were presented to the world during the Director General of Air Operations (DG Air Ops) briefing. Over the past year, declassified independent satellite imagery has further validated the precision and success of these strikes.
Equipment-Related Comparisons
Even before the flames had extinguished in May 2025, some interested analysts had already started giving medals or writing obituaries for the military hardware fielded by the two sides. Most did so without sufficient data available for professional analysis. There were claims and counterclaims regarding aircraft being shot down by both sides. Subsequent reviews established whether they were downed by ground-based air defence weapons or in beyond-visual-range (BVR) engagements. Comparisons were aggressively drawn between the Chinese Chengdu J-10CE and the French Dassault Rafale. China initially touted the success of its PL-15 BVR missile, though post-war analysis found little confirmation of any actual kill. Pakistan ultimately failed to provide credible video evidence or imagery of downed Indian fighters, nor of any successful hits on Indian ground targets.
There emerged a clear consensus regarding the success of the S-400 and other air defence weapons, as well as the outsized impact of drones and large loitering munitions. The PAF claimed to have intercepted and destroyed 77 Israeli-made Harop drones, a number that intelligence later proved far exceeded what was actually fired. A three-day short skirmish could not render definitive verdicts on major hardware, just as similar comparisons had not been conclusively established even after years of the Russia-Ukraine war. Much of this rhetoric was driven by the dynamics of the West against China and Russia. Analysts questioned whether the Americans wanted to downplay French aircraft to integrate into the Indian fighter ecosystem, or if China was worried about its equipment after its first true combat test. There were foreign-funded Indian analysts who, for years, had been writing poorly about the Indian Armed Forces and their equipment. Serious analysts chose to wait and watch; immature ones who sought to be heroes on social media were later forced to eat their words as the verified data emerged in late 2025.
Pakistan: A Country in Denial
Pakistan has been in a state of denial since its formation in 1947. It refused to acknowledge the Pakistan military‘s involvement in the incursions into Kashmir during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1947–1948, terming the invaders as mere tribesmen. Pakistan attacked India during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965, led by military dictator General Ayub Khan. The country subsequently disintegrated during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 under General Yahya Khan, and its army faced the humiliation of surrendering 93,000 prisoners of war. During the Kargil War of 1999, Pakistan refused to acknowledge its fallen soldiers as its own, and the Indian Army performed the last rites for Pakistani soldiers whose bodies Pakistan refused to accept. Pakistan denied its role in the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks until Ajmal Kasab was caught and exposed the Pakistan Army links. Pakistani military dictators have not only formally ruled the nation for 34 years but have also exercised de facto control for all the remaining years since independence. Punjabis dominate the Pakistan Army, and they not only loot the country in connivance with politicians but also treat Sindhis, Balochs, Pashtuns, Baltis, and others as lower beings. The Pakistan Army has had a direct fingerprint in terror incidents across India and elsewhere, yet remains in perennial denial. It double-crossed the United States of America (USA) in Afghanistan, notably by harbouring Osama bin Laden in a military cantonment for many years. True to form, during Operation Sindoor, Pakistan consistently underplayed or denied the losses of its aircraft and other military equipment to avoid embarrassment to its army.
Ceasefire and Narrative Building
The unanticipated pounding that the economically impoverished Pakistani military received forced its security establishment to seek a ceasefire. Back-channel intervention was facilitated by the USA and others. The Pakistani Director General of Military Operations (DGMO) called his Indian counterpart on the afternoon of 10 May 2025 and requested a ceasefire, which was agreed to be implemented by 5:00 PM Indian Standard Time. Despite the deadline, Pakistan continued cross-LoC firing and undertook a massive drone attack. Late on 10 May, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif declared “victory” to assuage the hurt of the suffering Pakistani masses.
Misinformation campaigns ruled the roost during the conflict. Artificial intelligence (AI)-supported videos and presentations became part of the narrative building and information warfare. Foreign media outlets, including CNN and Al Jazeera, selectively took sides and planted sensationalised articles. The false narrative about Indian strikes hitting religious sites was deliberately meant to inflame passions. Furthermore, there was considerable hype surrounding the supposed success of Pakistani strikes. India effectively countered this by publishing time-stamped images confirming that IAF airbases, including Sirsa Air Force Station and Suratgarh Air Force Station, were not damaged, contrary to the claims made by Pakistani reports. India also outrightly debunked claims regarding the destruction of its S-400 and BrahMos missile systems. Prime Minister Narendra Modi chose to make his first post-ceasefire visit to the Adampur Air Force Station, taking pictures next to the very S-400 system that Pakistan had claimed to have destroyed.
While official confirmations on aircraft losses were initially clouded by the fog of war, military reviews over the ensuing months established that the loss of a limited number of fighter aircraft by both sides was normal for such an intense,e short war. Some reports reflected exaggerated sensationalism at the behest of China and Pakistan, who lost their joint ability to maintain a high level of effectiveness, resilience, and a positive attitude while facing adversity. The critical clinchers of the war remained India’s devastating strikes against terror camps and military targets.
Globally, most nations supported India against terror while cautioning restraint in military operations. Terror infrastructure can perhaps never be completely demolished, but in these air strikes, it was severely degraded. Many centres had been vacated in anticipation of such strikes, which in itself proved to be a clear victory for India. Intelligence assessments released in late 2025 definitively ascertained the severe extent of militant casualties. A new normal was firmly set. Moving into 2026, India continues to maintain intense pressure on Pakistan, retaining the option to repeat military strikes in the future if required. Pakistan’s nuclear bluff was once again comprehensively called out. Consequently, throughout the remainder of 2025 and into 2026, India significantly accelerated efforts to build its military capability to increase operational asymmetry. The acquisition processes for the IAF’s fighter squadrons, airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) systems, flight refuellers, and loitering munitions inventories were aggressively fast-tracked. Military-industrial capabilities and the Atmanirbhar Bharat (self-reliance) initiative advanced at an unprecedented pace following the lessons of the conflict.
India’s non-kinetic actions related to the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT), trade, border crossings, visas, and medical facilities have continued to play a crucial role in the post-war diplomatic landscape. India effectively used its economic strength to its advantage over the past year. There remains a strong domestic and strategic consensus that pressure must be continuously maintained on Pakistan to not let the terror snake pop up its head again.
The Indian military strikes satisfied the international principles of necessity and proportionality. The IAF successfully performed the maximum “heavy lifting” among the Indian Armed Forces during Operation Sindoor. The performance of Indian air defence and anti-drone systems validated years of indigenous technological investment and was clearly viewed in a highly positive light by global defence analysts. Ultimately, Operation Sindoor showcased India’s ability to strike at will, with precision and depth. The IAF’s technological edge and freedom of use provided India with a decisive advantage that continues to define the strategic balance on the subcontinent today.
Note: The article was originally written by the Author for The First Post on 25th May 2025; it has since been updated.
Header Picture Credit: Representative Image Generated using AI
Twitter: @AirPowerAsia
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