India launches air strikes on ‘terrorist camps’ inside Pakistan but Karachi says two war planes were shot down as dramatic escalation sees nuclear-armed states teetering on the brink of war

‘A little while ago, the Indian Armed Forces launched ‘OPERATION SINDOOR’, hitting terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir from where terrorist attacks against India have been planned and directed’, the Indian government said in a statement in the early hours of Wednesday morning.

The Indian army added that no Pakistani military facilities had been targeted, noting that India had ‘demonstrated considerable restraint in selection of targets and method of execution’.

In an X overnight, the Indian army wrote that ‘Justice is Served’ and ‘Jai Hind!!’, which translates to ‘victory to India’.

Seven people have died, including at least two children, a spokesperson for the Pakistani military told BBC.
In the hours that followed, the Indian army said that Pakistan had ‘fired artillery’ across the dividing lines in Kashmir in retaliation, accusing it of violating a 2020 ceasefire agreement.