Nuclear rivals India and Pakistan clashed on Wednesday as India launched missile strikes on multiple locations in a Pakistan-controlled territory, killing at least eight people and injuring dozens, according to Pakistani security officials.
Indian officials said shelling from Pakistan had killed 10 civilians in its own territory.
India said its “precision strike” targeted infrastructure used by militants, following last month’s deadly attack on tourists in Indian-administered Kashmir, which New Delhi blames on Pakistan-backed militants—an allegation Islamabad denies.
India’s Defense Ministry said in a statement that at least nine locations had been targeted, describing them as “sites where terrorist attacks against India have been planned.” Pakistan’s Foreign Affairs Ministry said that Indian forces carried out the missile strikes while remaining within Indian airspace.
The missile strikes hit sites in Pakistan-administered Kashmir and Punjab province, Pakistan officials said. One missile reportedly struck a mosque in the city of Bahawalpur, killing a child and wounding a woman and a man, according to one official. Pakistan’s military spokesperson, Lt. Gen. Ahmed Sharif, said the attacks injured at least 38 people across the sites.
Indian officials said at least 10 civilians were killed from Pakistani shelling in Indian-administered Kashmir.
Additional targets were hit by India near Muridke in Punjab and Kotli in Pakistan-administered Kashmir. The Pakistani ministry reported that the strikes caused civilian casualties and posed a serious risk to commercial air traffic in the region.
“This reckless escalation has brought the two nuclear-armed states closer to a major conflict,” Pakistan’s statement warned.
Reports began circulating of the attacks at around 4:30 p.m. ET, around 1:30 a.m. local time Wednesday in Pakistan. Multiple videos were shared on social media, showing explosions across the region.
In response, Pakistani security officials said the country launched retaliatory strikes, though they did not provide further details.
The U.S. State Department told Newsweek that it was monitoring an “evolving situation” and that there was no further assessment to offer at this time. The Pentagon told Newsweek it did not wish to comment further on the reports.
In a statement, Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said that “Pakistan has every right to give a robust response to this act of war imposed by India, and a strong response is indeed being given.”
State-run Pakistan Television, quoting security officials, said Pakistan’s air force shot down two Indian jets but provided no additional details.
Sharif said the entire nation stands with the Pakistan Armed Forces, and the morale and spirit of the Pakistani people are high.
“The Pakistani nation and the Pakistan Armed Forces know very well how to deal with the enemy,” he said. “We will never let the enemy succeed in its nefarious objectives.”
In Muzaffarabad, the main city in Pakistan-administered Kashmir, residents described scenes of chaos following multiple explosions. Abdul Sammad, a local resident, said he heard several blasts and saw wounded civilians. Authorities quickly cut off electricity, plunging the city into darkness as people fled in panic.
The missile strikes tore through walls, leaving rubble scattered across neighborhoods as residents cautiously inspected the damage to their homes. “We were afraid the next missile might hit our house,” said Mohammad Ashraf, who, like many others, sought shelter in open spaces and on the streets.
Waqar Noor, the region’s interior minister, confirmed that hospitals had been placed under emergency status to treat the injured. In response to the strikes, Pakistan closed schools in both Pakistan-administered Kashmir and Punjab province and had already shuttered religious seminaries in anticipation of a potential Indian attack.
Tensions remained high along the Line of Control, the contested border dividing Kashmir, where heavy exchanges of fire were reported between Indian and Pakistani forces. The situation marks one of the most serious escalations between the two nuclear-armed neighbors in recent years.
On Tuesday, a roadside bomb struck a security vehicle in southwestern Pakistan, killing seven soldiers. President Asif Ali Zardari blamed the attack on the Baloch Liberation Army.
Just over two weeks ago, militants opened fire on a group of tourists in the India-controlled portion of Kashmir, with 26 people killed. India blamed Pakistan for the attack, which leaders there denied.
India ordered its citizens to return from Pakistan and closed a vital border crossing following the attack, while Pakistan ceased trade with its neighbor and returned Indian diplomats. Last month, India also suspended its 65-year-old Indus Waters Treaty with Pakistan.
Both countries have accused the other of carrying violent or war-like acts, as the rest of the world has looked on with the potential for two nuclear powers to go to war.
U.S. Vice President JD Vance was visiting India at the time of the attack, later saying that the country should respond carefully.
Following news of the Wednesday morning strikes, U.S. President Donald Trump told reporters at the White House that he hoped the fighting would end quickly.
Stephane Dujarric, the United Nations spokesperson, said in a statement late Tuesday that Secretary-General Antonio Guterres was “very concerned about the Indian military operations across the Line of Control and international border” and called for maximum military restraint from both countries.
“The world cannot afford a military confrontation between India and Pakistan,” the statement read.
Pakistani army spokesman, Lt. Gen. Ahmad Sharif, told ARY News: “This was a cowardly attack targeting innocent civilians under the cover of darkness.”
India’s Defense Ministry, in a statement: “Our actions have been focused, measured and non-escalatory in nature. No Pakistan military facilities have been targeted. India has demonstrated considerable restraint in selection of targets and method of execution.
“We are living up to the commitment that those responsible for this attack will be held accountable.”
U.S. President Donald Trump, in the Oval Office: “It’s a shame, we just heard about it… I guess people knew something was going to happen, based on a little bit of the past. They have been fighting for a long time. They have been fighting for many, many decades, and centuries if you really think about it. I just hope it ends very quickly.”
A statement from the Indian Embassy in the United States: “India has credible leads, technical inputs, testimony of the survivors and other evidence pointing towards the clear involvement of Pakistan-based terrorists in this attack.
“It was expected that Pakistan would take action against terrorists and the infrastructure that supports them. Instead, during the fortnight that has gone by, Pakistan has indulged in denial and made allegations of false flag operations against India.”
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on X: “I am monitoring the situation between India and Pakistan closely. I echo @POTUS’s comments earlier today that this hopefully ends quickly and will continue to engage both Indian and Pakistani leadership towards a peaceful resolution.”
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