India and Pakistan both say their military sites were targeted with attacks, leading to an escalation between the two countries late Thursday.
Both of the nuclear powers deployed drones, missiles, air defense systems and fighter jets against each other in what is a rare aerial clash.
Tanks haven’t moved yet in this war-like conflict, expected to continue for at least the next few days.
India hasn’t faced such airborne attacks since the 1971 Indo-Pakistan war.
Border villages and towns in both countries were evacuated ahead of the exchange of gunfire, according to reports.
The India-Pakistan border ranked as one of the most dangerous international boundaries in the world, according to a Foreign Policy article in 2011. But tensions are especially high right now, following the deadly militia attack on tourists in Kashmir, India, in late April.
New Delhi held Islamabad accountable for the act of terrorism in Pahalgam, a popular tourist destination in the Indian-administered part of Kashmir, as the Deseret News reported.
At least two dozen people were killed by terrorists in Kashmir, India. Pakistan authorities denied the country’s involvement.
Kashmir has long been the scene of frequent unrest between India and Pakistan, which both control portions of the land there, as does China.
India launched a retaliatory attack against Pakistan on May 7, killing more than 30 people.
But New Delhi’s “measured” response led to a dangerous crossfire between the two countries Thursday night.
At the second annual Crossroads of the World International Trade Summit Thursday in Salt Lake City, former United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken said he hopes the conflict won’t continue to escalate.
He acknowledged the horrific attack on India but added, “It’s not in Pakistan’s interest to continue this.”
Pakistan is making strides with their economy, under the International Monetary Fund’s direction, he said.
“And fundamentally, I don’t think India wants this,” Blinken added.
On the ground
Although verified information is sparse, many credible reports indicate continued shelling on the ground.
Several videos online show India’s Air Force Defense System deployed to the maximum effect for the second time in two days.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has not addressed the nation since the strikes. During a cabinet meeting, he called for “continued alertness” and “clear communication.”
Pakistan closed airports for four hours and India suspended all its flights departing from near the 2,000-miles-long India-Pakistan border.
X, formerly known as Twitter, received an order from the Indian government to suspend “accounts belonging to international news organizations and prominent X users” amid the conflict, when misinformation is rampant on social media.
In New Delhi, public spaces, like the areas near India Gate, were closed and evacuated while other parts of the country, especially Srinagar in Kashmir, experienced blackouts. Schools in Punjab, an Indian state that shares a border with Pakistan, will be closed for the rest of the week.
U.S. calls for deescalation
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke to Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar and Pakistani Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif separately on Thursday but fell short of playing the mediator.
He “emphasized the need for immediate deescalation” and encouraged a direct dialogue between the two parties in both conversations.
He also expressed his condolences for the losses on the Indian and Pakistani sides. The vice president called on “Pakistan to take concrete steps to end any support for terrorist groups” and “reaffirmed the United States’ commitment to work with India in the fight against terrorism.”
New Delhi’s Wednesday strikes were intended as a response to the tourist massacre in Kashmir in April and they only targeted alleged terrorist infrastructure, Indian Ambassador to the US Vinay Kwatra told CNN.
“When we did this the day before yesterday, our assumption was that we have completed what we set out to do ourselves vis a vis the terrorists,” he said. “We, from our perspective, had brought a certain finality to it.”
“Pakistan chose to escalate it further,” he added.
Following the terrorist attack on India in April, U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance, who was visiting India that same week, told Fox News that he hoped New Delhi “responds to this terrorist attack in a way that doesn’t lead to a broader regional conflict.”
“And we hope, frankly, that Pakistan, to the extent that they’re responsible, cooperates with India to make sure that the terrorists sometimes operating in their territory are hunted down and dealt with,” Vance added.
President Donald Trump also condemned the “terror” attack and expressed his support for India at the time.
Former presidential candidate Nikki Haley, an Indian American, defended India‘s recent attacks in a post on X.
“Terrorists launched an attack that killed dozens of Indian citizens. India had every right to retaliate and defend itself,” she wrote. “Pakistan does not get to play the victim. No country gets a pass for supporting terrorist activity.”
What started the current conflict?
Weeks after the Pahalgam terrorist attack, India responded through “Operation Sindoor," a “measured and non-escalatory” plan.
New Delhi directed 24 missiles at nine alleged terrorist camps in Pakistan, killing 30 people over the course of half an hour on Wednesday night.
Pakistani Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said their Chinese-made aircraft shot down two Indian aircraft and 25 drones, according to CNN.
The next morning, Pakistan shot down 25 Indian air defense system drones. According to the Indian defense minister, 16 people, including some children, died during this attack.
This led to an ongoing flurry of drone attacks on Thursday night.
Reports out of India also indicate the possibility of a naval operation underway against Pakistan.