Pakistani jets destroy air defense system in Punjab, India starts missile strikes

Pakistan successfully targeted and destroyed an Indian S-400 air defense system in Adampur, located in Jalandhar district of India's Punjab state, in an airstrike on Saturday, the Pakistani military said in a statement, reported Xinhua.

The strike was carried out using hypersonic missiles deployed from the JF-17 platform, with precision-guided munitions neutralizing the advanced air defense asset, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the military wing of the Pakistani army, said in the statement.

The S-400 system, estimated to be worth around 1.5 billion U.S. dollars, was considered one of India's most sophisticated surface-to-air missile systems, the statement added.

Military analysts told Xinhua that the successful targeting of the S-400 could have significant implications for India's aerial defense posture in the region.

The strike is a part of Pakistan's major military operation "Bunyanun Marsoos," meaning concrete structure, launched in response to sustained Indian provocations, and aimed at targeting multiple high-value military installations across India, according to the ISPR.

Meanwhile, India’s military said Pakistan’s retaliatory military operation against India targeted “places of worship” including a Hindu temple, reported Cable News Network (CNN).

“Multiple armed drones have been sent through the night, endangering civilians and religious sites,” India’s defense ministry wrote in a statement on X.

Indian officials confirmed the death of at least one person on Saturday as a result of Pakistan’s military operations.

The Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir confirmed a government official, district development commissioner Raj Kumar Thappa, was killed in shelling on the city of Rajouri in India-administered Kashmir.

Meanwhile, India launched missile and drone strikes in multiple areas of Pakistan, including three airbases of the Pakistan Air Force (PAF), and also resorted to unprovoked firing along the international border in eastern Punjab province, Pakistani officials and sources confirmed in the wee hours of Saturday, said Xinhua.

Missiles were launched from Indian aircraft targeting Nur Khan Airbase in Rawalpindi city of Punjab province, where the headquarters of the Pakistani army is located, said Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, director general of the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the media wing of Pakistani army.

Chaudhry said that the Pakistani military successfully intercepted the missiles and confirmed that two other PAF airbases in Punjab were also targeted, but all strategic assets remain safe and operational.

Speaking to Xinhua on condition of anonymity, well-placed sources said that five security personnel, including an officer, were injured in the attacks and shifted to a nearby hospital for treatment.

The sources added that the Indian army also initiated unprovoked firing at the international border near Narowal district in Punjab province, injuring one Pakistani soldier.

A few short-range missiles also landed in the Punjab's provincial capital city of Lahore, though no casualties or property damage were reported.

Several drones were reported in various parts of the country, including the capital city of Peshawar in northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

One man was injured when a drone fell in the Gulberg Greens area at the outskirts of the capital, Islamabad police sources told Xinhua, adding that multiple drones had been spotted in the capital, and police, along with security agencies, were dispatched to investigate the situation.

Saifullah Khan, a spokesperson of the Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority, told Xinhua that all airfields of Pakistan have been closed till 12:00 a.m. local time (GMT 0700) Saturday.