The Indian Army in the intervening night of May 8 and May 9 successfully repelled and responded to multiple drone attacks by Pakistan along the western border and the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir.
It marked a "milestone" in India's journey towards technological self-reliance in military operations, the ministry said on Operation Sindoor.
India's Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said on Thursday that the choice of de-escalation is with Pakistan, as India only responded to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack, which killed 26 people. He added that Pakistan has been escalating the situation with cross-border terrorism against India for decades.
India recognised acts of gallantry by armed forces personnel and senior military officers involved in Operation Sindoor, along with other distinguished service awards, on the eve of the 79th Independence Day.
Israel Defence Forces spokesperson Brigadier General Effie Defrin on Saturday claimed that the Israeli Air Force has achieved aerial freedom of action over Tehran, which is 'no longer immune'.
A series of blasts took place in Srinagar city as the security agencies brought down a drone that was seen hovering over Batwara area of the city, close to an army installation, officials said.
'Operation Sindoor had three objectives.' 'One, destroy the Lashkar-e-Taiba headquarters at Muridke and the Jaish-e-Mohammed headquarters at Bahawalpur.' 'Second, deter and defend any counterstrike by Pakistan.' 'And third, if they persist, demonstrably deliver counterforce punishment.' 'All of the three boxes, the IAF checked,' points out Shekhar Gupta.
'When one air force (India's) hits the other's airbases with impunity and that air force (Pakistan's) is not able to respond, then the air force, which has put the other's airbases out of commission, has won.'
India's indigenously developed 'Akashteer' air defense system performed exceedingly well during 'Operation Sindoor,' according to Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) chief Samir V Kamat. The fully automated system, deployed against terror sites in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, integrates various radar systems, sensors, and communication technologies. Kamat expressed confidence in the system's success drawing international interest, highlighting India's progress toward self-reliance in the defense sector. He also addressed the future of warfare, emphasizing the need for a blend of traditional and emerging technologies, and outlined the development timeline for the indigenous 5.5-generation stealth fighter aircraft, the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA).
The Indian Army demonstrates how it thwarted Pakistan's aerial attacks in the Akhnoor sector in Jammu.
The system performance was also validated through the data captured by a number of radars, telemetry and electro-optical tracking system deployed by ITR, Chandipur.
India successfully test-fired nuclear-capable short range ballistic missiles Prithvi-II and Agni-I from an integrated test range off the Odisha coast, demonstrating its strategic deterrence capability. The test-firing of the missiles, conducted by the elite Strategic Forces Command, validated all operational and technical parameters.
Amid escalating tensions between Israel and Iran, US President Donald Trump on Monday urged civilians to 'immediately evacuate Tehran', shortly after which the White House announced he would be departing the G7 summit early to 'attend to many important matters'.
The Indian Army is conducting field trials of several cutting-edge defence systems under 'near-combat conditions', integrating electronic warfare simulations, to assess their performance rigorously, officials said on Saturday.
'The Pakistani State has to realise that the pigeons have come home to roost.'
India's robust air defence system effectively thwarted Pakistani attempts to target Indian installations.
From the Sensex firms, Eternal, Mahindra & Mahindra, Maruti, Bajaj Finance, Tata Steel, Bharti Airtel, Bajaj Finserv, Asian Paints, Power Grid and State Bank of India were among the laggards. Kotak Mahindra Bank, Axis Bank, Titan, HCL Tech, Tata Motors, Infosys and Tata Consultancy Services were the gainers.
Iran has fired 280 ballistic missiles at Israel since early Friday in retaliation to Israeli strikes on its nuclear programme, its military and political officials, and nuclear scientists.
In 2024, Pakistan shelled out $10.2 billion in defence spends.
Colonel Sofiya Qureshi revealed that 300 to 400 drones were deployed across 36 locations, with several being shot down by Indian forces using both kinetic and non-kinetic methods.
Indian Armed Forces brought down a number of these drones using kinetic and non-kinetic means.
In a high-risk military operation early Sunday, the United States launched coordinated airstrikes on three of Iran's most fortified nuclear sites -- Fordo, Natanz, and Isfahan -- marking a decisive escalation in the ongoing Israel-Iran conflict.
'All the government and private offices are functioning.' 'Overall, life is continuing normally.' 'People of Iran are showing spirit and resilience in the face of adversity.'
The highlight of Tuesday's debate on Operation Sindoor was the speech by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, with the rebuttal by Congress's Wayanad MP Priyanka Gandhi coming a close second.
The army chief reviewed the joint operations carried out by the Indian Army, Indian Air Force and Border Security Force in response to Pakistani drone and military attacks that followed India's retaliatory strike on May 7 for the horrific Pahalgam terror attack.
Normal flight services at Manipur's Imphal International Airport were affected on Sunday afternoon over sighting of an unidentified flying object (UFO), officials said.
Meanwhile, a precautionary blackout has been enforfced in the multiple areas amid the esclating tensions between India and Pakistan.
Wing Commander Singh asserted that while all hostile actions have been effectively countered with proportionate responses, India has reiterated its commitment to de-escalation, conditional on reciprocal restraint from Pakistan.
Rahul Gandhi accuses PM Modi of prioritizing his image over national security after the Pahalgam attack, challenging him to refute Trump's claims of brokering a ceasefire between India and Pakistan.
India has to fill in all the critical gaps in missiles, ammunition, sensors and stockpile in the fastest possible manner, focusing on the critical instruments that worked this time, asserts Shekhar Gupta.
India needs to be technologically and militarily prepared to defend itself from both Pakistan and China, alerts Ramesh Menon.
India on Thursday night swiftly foiled Pakistan's attempts to hit various key Indian installations including military stations at Jammu, Pathankot and Udhampur with drones and missiles, the defence ministry said.
The Indian Army used Medium Machine Guns (MMGs) to target Pakistani Army forward posts along the Line of Control (LoC), inflicting heavy casualties during a ceasefire violation on the intervening night of May 7-8.
Official confirmation from the government is still awaited, and more details are expected soon.
Escalating its tensions with India, Pakistan on Thursday targeted Jammu with loitering munitions and the Indian air defence guns are firing back. A complete blackout has been enforced in Jammu city.
Local residents said a migrant labourer was injured in the incident, while a few houses in the area also sustained damage. Parts of the unidentified object were lying in the area, they said.
Metal debris was found scattered in three villages of Amritsar district, with some locals claiming them to be parts of missiles. Police are investigating the objects, while the Indian government claims to have foiled Pakistan military's attempts to attack 15 places in northern and western India using missiles and drones. Tensions between India and Pakistan have escalated after India launched missile strikes on terror targets in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) in response to the April 22 killing of 26 people by terrorists in Kashmir's Pahalgam.
The Israeli-made Harop drone is a powerful weapon that can operate silently in enemy territory and carry a significant payload.
Drones were sighted and explosions were heard in Jammu and Kashmir on Friday, a day after India thwarted attempts by the Pakistan military to attack Indian military installations using drones and missiles. The drones were also engaged in Udhampur and Nagrota of Jammu and Punjab. Heavy cross-border shelling started along the International Border in Suchetgarh and Ramgarh sectors of Jammu and Samba districts. Chief Minister Omar Abdullah appealed to residents to stay indoors and ignore rumors.
When the technology gap between China and India will remain large, cost-effective hardware of the kind that proved their worth in Operation Sindoor should be our priority, points out R Jagannathan.
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