Pakistan’s military launched a coordinated offensive involving drones and missiles targeting military installations and civilian areas in Jammu, Pathankot, and Udhampur late on Thursday evening.
The Indian air defence system responded swiftly, intercepting and neutralising all eight missiles and multiple drones.
Meanwhile, a woman was killed and another injured in intense mortar and artillery shelling by Pakistani troops along the LoC in north Kashmir's Uri sector on Thursday evening.
The deceased woman was identified as Nargis Begum. Another woman, Hafeeza, sustained injuries and has been hospitalised, officials confirmed.
Amid the heightened tensions, the Border Security Force (BSF) thwarted a significant infiltration attempt by militants at the International Boundary in Jammu and Kashmir’s Samba district late Thursday night.
“At around 11 pm on May 8, BSF foiled a major infiltration bid at the International Boundary in Samba district of J&K,” a BSF official said.
The infiltration attempt coincided with Pakistan’s military launching a coordinated offensive involving drones and missiles targeting military installations and civilian areas in Jammu, Pathankot, and Udhampur.
The Indian air defence system responded swiftly, intercepting and neutralising all eight missiles and multiple drones.
Intense shelling was reported in several sectors including Uri in Baramulla, Karnah and Tangdhar in Kupwara, Gurez in Bandipora, Rajouri, R S Pura, and other parts of the Jammu region.
The army official said the army men deployed at the LoC also returned the fire effectively with similar calibre weapons.
Security forces across Jammu and Kashmir have been put on high alert amid fears of a wider conflict following the escalation.
News agency ANI, meanwhile, quoted multiple sources claiming that a Pakistani fighter jet had been shot down in the Pathankot sector. Official government confirmation was awaited.
Two Pakistani drones were also shot down by Indian Army Air Defence units in the Naushera sector of Jammu and Kashmir, ANI reported quoting defence sources.
Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio called External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Pakistani PM Shehbaz Sharif, emphasising the need for 'immediate de-escalation'.
The initial reports were of attempted attacks on Jammu airport using drones, reports said. The Jammu airport also houses an Indian Air Force station.
Then came reports of eight missiles from Pakistan directed at Jammu's Satwari, Samba, RS Pura and Arnia being intercepted and neutralised, armed forces said.
Pakistan's defence minister Khawaja Asif, however, denied that his country carried out attacks in Jammu & Kashmir.
"We deny it, we have not mounted anything so far," he told the BBC.
The Headquarters Integrated Defence Staff in a tweet confirmed that "Military Stations of Jammu, Pathankot and Udhampur in proximity to the International Boundary, in Jammu and Kashmir" were targeted by Pakistan using missiles and drones.
There were reports, still unconfirmed, of Pakistan fighter planes being downed and an enemy pilot being in custody.
The Press Trust of India reported that the early blasts triggered panic in Jammu.
As soon as the first two explosions went off, electricity was cut and the city plunged into darkness.
All the Pakistani drones were downed by the Indian anti-drone systems.
One eyewitness reported seeing a drone dropping outside the Jammu airport.
Army sources also said Pakistani drones were sighted at multiple places along India's western front. The Indian air defence systems managed to bring them all down.
Pakistan troops have also resorted to increased shelling along the Line of Control in Kupwara and Baramulla districts of Jammu and Kashmir, it was reported.
The Tangdhar sector of Kupwara district and Boniyar sector of Baramulla came under Pakistan fire.
There was also a loud sound, likely of shelling, in Rajasthan's Jaisalmer.
Blackouts are on in Jaisalmer, Barmer, Bikaner and Sriganganagar.
The developments after India thwarted Pakistan’s overnight attempt to strike multiple military targets in northern and western India with drones and missiles.
A key air defence system in Lahore was also destroyed, India's Defence Ministry said.
This was in response to Pakistan's missile strikes.
The Pakistani military had attempted to target Awantipura, Srinagar, Jammu, Pathankot, Amritsar, Kapurthala, Jalandhar, Ludhiana, Adampur, Bhatinda, Chandigarh, Nal, Phalodi, Uttarlai, and Bhuj, they said.
(With inputs from Fayaz Wani)
