A Pakistani drone was downed near Jaisalmer early on Thursday as part of India’s overall defense efforts to counter several cross-border intrusions. The drone was successfully intercepted using advanced electronic surveillance jamming, preventing it from reaching its destination, defense sources said.
Several Intrusion Attempts Across Rajasthan
The drone downing is a part of a larger escalation with four other attempted intrusions recorded in the state of Rajasthan. They consisted of intrusions close to Nal in Bikaner, Uttarlai in Barmer, Phalodi in Jodhpur, and the drone incident in Jaisalmer, which happened a few hours back.
Response to Cross-Border Escalation
The drone attack follows a significant cross-border escalation on the evening of May 7-8. On this occasion, Pakistan carried out coordinated drone and missile attacks on various military installations throughout northern and western India. Targets included Awantipura, Srinagar, Jammu, Pathankot, Amritsar, Kapurthala, Jalandhar, Ludhiana, Adampur, Bhatinda, Chandigarh, and Bhuj. India’s Integrated Counter UAS Grid and Air Defence systems countered these attacks, and wreckage from the unsuccessful attempts was retrieved from different places.
Indian Counteroffensive and Air Defence Targeted
Indian troops targeted Pakistani air defence systems, such as the HQ-9 long-range surface-to-air missile system, a principal element of Pakistan’s defence system. Sources indicate that an air defence radar system close to Lahore was destroyed during the operation.
Pakistan Intensifies Artillery Fire
Parallel to this, Pakistan has stepped up shelling across the Line of Control (LoC) with strikes hitting civilian zones in Kupwara, Baramulla, Uri, Poonch, Mendhar, and Rajouri regions of Jammu and Kashmir. These shelling have resulted in the killing of 16 civilians, three of whom were women and five of whom were children.
Ongoing Hostilities and Military Operations
This upscaling comes on the heels of India’s ‘Operation Sindoor,’ a surgical 25-minute airstrike campaign targeting nine terror bases of Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) and Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). Initiated after the fatal April 22 Pahalgam attack, the operation hit militant bases such as JeM headquarters in Bahawalpur, more than 100 kilometers away from the Indian border.
Commitment to Peace Amid Rising Tensions
Indian military has re-emphasized that its commitment to peace on the border will hold, provided Pakistan’s army also upholds the ceasefire. Furthermore, tensions have continued to grow following the most recent surge in violence between the two nations.
