BREAKING India Hits Islamabad, Lahore, Sialkot In Retaliation To Pakistan's Brazen Attack

India has carried out a string of missile and air raids-code-named Operation Sindoor-on Islamabad, Lahore, Sialkot, Bahawalpur, and other targets in Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir. The raids come 15 days after the Pahalgam terror attack in Kashmir, where mostly Hindu tourists were killed and India blames Pakistan-based groups Jaish-e-Mohammed and Lashkar-e-Taiba. India says its raids hit "terrorist infrastructure" and avoided Pakistani military installations, terming the operation "focused, measured, and non-escalatory.".

Pakistan, for its part, claims that the Indian assaults hit civilian areas, killing a minimum of 31 persons-children included-and has threatened to retaliate. Islamabad asserts that there were no militant camps among the areas attacked, while India maintains that it only hit terror-related targets.

The crisis has turned sharply in favour of no country: Pakistan says it has shot down five Indian fighter aircraft, but India denies any loss of aircraft. Both nations have turned to cross-border firing, and Pakistan has attempted drone and missile attacks on Indian cities, which India says were shot down by its air defences. 

There have been casualties among the civilians on both sides, and both militaries are on maximum alert.

Experts warn that while these attacks will likely destroy some terror infrastructure, they are unlikely to fundamentally change the capabilities of the armed groups and pose a threat of further escalation between the nuclear-armed rivals. The international community, including the US, has called for restraint and urged Pakistan to take tangible action against terrorist groups.

It is worst India-Pakistan military standoff in over two decades and poses severe concern to the stability of the region and the risk of broader conflict.