India will respond in a "measured" manner to all terrorist attacks targeting its territory and citizens, but will not take kindly to any attempt by Pakistan to escalate military tension, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar told United States State Secretary Marco Rubio in a call late Thursday.
He also said India appreciated the US' commitment to work together to combat terrorism.
"Underlined India's targeted and measured response to cross-border terrorism. Will firmly counter any attempts at escalation," Mr Jaishankar posted on X after the call.
Mr Rubio, who spoke to Pak Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on a separate call, emphasised the need "immediate de-escalation" of military tension, a State Department spokesperson said.
Mr Jaishankar and Mr Rubio spoke hours before as Pak fired a barrage of missiles and drones at Indian military installations in Jammu and Kashmir, Rajasthan, Punjab, and Gujarat.
Most of these were safely intercepted by Indian countermeasures, but Pak's attacks led to air raid sirens and blackouts along the border and in Chandigarh, which is 244km from Delhi.
US State Department Spokesperson Tammy Bruce says, "Secretary Marco Rubio spoke today with Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar. The Secretary emphasised the need for immediate de-escalation. He expressed US support for direct dialogue between India and… pic.twitter.com/XmH9c1dwHI
— ANI (@ANI) May 8, 2025
Eight Pak missiles were fired at targets in J&K alone; all were intercepted by air defence units.
Pathankot in Punjab, which is just 30km from the Pak border was under blackout.
Visuals shared online by residents in these areas showing terrifying scenes - Pak missiles streaking across the night sky and exploding as they are hit by Indian countermeasures.
READ | Sirens Sounded In Chandigarh And Mohali, Blackout Enforced
Sources said at least one Pak fighter jet - a supersonic F-16 - had been shot down.
The fresh wave of attempted attacks by Pak follow a barrage of missiles fired late Wednesday and early Thursday targeting military installations in 15 cities, including Jalandhar, Srinagar, Amritsar, and Ludhiana. India air defence systems - the Russian-made S-400 - shot these down.
READ | India Neutralises Pak Drones And Missiles Aimed At 15 Cities
India's Israeli-made HARPY drones then took out Pak air defence systems in Lahore and other places, leaving then vulnerable to a possible counterattack.
This attempted military action against India comes a day after Indian armed forces' carried out precision strikes at four terrorist camps in Pak and five in Pak-occupied Kashmir, or PoK.
Operation Sindoor, as the strikes were codenamed, spanned a 25-minute period that began Wednesday morning at 1.05 am and included a barrage of 24 munitions - from HAMMER smart bombs to SCALP missiles - that destroyed terrorist groups' HQs and training camps.
Over 100 terrorists were killed in the strikes, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said.
Op Sindoor was in response to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack.
Four terrorists from The Resistance Front, a Lashkar-e-Taiba proxy, killed 26 people, many of whom were civilians, at the Baisaran Valley, a tourist hotspot less than 70 km from Srinagar.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi had vowed vengeance against those responsible.
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