India brings down Pakistani missiles, drones; foils air raids in Western sector

New Delhi: Indian forces repelled Pakistan's air raids and brought down missiles and drones along the Western Border in the intervening night of May 8 and 9. Pak troops also resorted to numerous ceasefire violations (CFVs) along the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir.

On Thursday evening, a dozen locations across Jammu came under intense attack from the Pakistani side, involving artillery shelling, drone strikes, and missile launches.

According to security agencies, eight missiles were fired from Pakistan, targeting key areas such as the Jammu civil airport, Samba, RS Pura, Arnia, Akhnoor, and nearby regions. All were successfully intercepted by India’s S-400 air defence system, preventing any reported damage or casualties.

“All eight missiles were neutralised mid-air through the coordinated deployment of advanced technologies,” sources said, confirming that no damage or casualties were reported.

A defence spokesman at Jammu said military stations at Jammu, Pathankot & Udhampur were targeted by Pakistani-origin drones and missiles along the International Border in J&K. “The threats were swiftly neutralised using kinetic and non-kinetic capabilities in line with established Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs). No casualties or material losses were reported. India remains fully prepared to defend its sovereignty and ensure the safety of its people,” he said.

Panic gripped the locals after the explosions, which were preceded by air raid sirens and blackouts.

“Complete blackout in Jammu. Loud explosions—bombing, shelling, or missile strikes suspected. Fret not—Mata Vaishno Devi is with us, and so are the valiant Indian Armed Forces,” former DGP of Jammu and Kashmir, Shesh Paul Vaid, posted on X.

Blackout in cities

As the drone attacks were on multiple cities, there was a blackout in Jammu, Srinagar, Jaisalmer, Pathankot, Gurdaspur, and also parts of Kutch.

Match cancelled

IPL match in Dharamshala was canceled. People were asked to leave as a precautionary measure.

Social media active

Social media users on Instagram, X and Facebook were active till late night as people were checking the videos and updates. Residents from different states went on their terraces and shot videos of the drone attack. These were widely circulated by people.

Fake news

Fake news and disinformation was also peddling at a huge speed. This created a lot of confusion and also panic among the people. The government official handle Press Information Bureau put out a note that a barrage of coordinated disinformation was on social media handles in general and also mainstream media to instill fear in Indian masses.

Press Information Bureau in a statement said: "This psychological warfare has been actively debunked by PIB."

PIB debunked within an hour that there were no fidayeen attacks on the Line of Actual Control. The fake news that airports were closed was also released by the government.