Air defense, blackouts, and an IPL suspension: What we now know about Pakistan's assault on India

After a suspected Pakistani drone attack that was reported from parts of Jammu, Punjab, and Rajasthan was stopped by Indian defense systems, tensions between India and Pakistan reached their highest level in years Thursday evening. The Indian Premiere League (IPL) match in Dharamshala, Himachal Pradesh, was suspended halfway through, and blackout enforcement and air raid sirens were implemented in the affected cities. It began Thursday night with a suspected drone strike from Pakistan that was stopped by the Indian air defense system in some sections of Jammu.

From there, there were explosions heard in sensitive areas of Rajasthan and some portions of Punjab. All of this occurs one day after New Delhi launched "Operation Sindoor," which involved military strikes on Islamabad's terror infrastructure in retaliation for the Pahalgam terrorist attack on April 22. Following Jammu, there were reports of explosions in several areas of Punjab as well as shelling from Pakistan from Pathankot in the latter province and Kupwara in J&K, among other areas. Shortly after, Indian air defense was observed intercepting Pakistani drones in Jaisalmer, Rajasthan.

They may see flashes in the sky and hear explosions. According to the information available at the time of writing this article at 9 p.m., the alleged drone assault caused a complete blackout and air raid sirens in several areas of Jammu and Punjab. Officials quoted by the news outlet According to PTI, Pakistani troops were using shelling along the Line of Control in the districts of Kupwara and Baramulla in Jammu and Kashmir. There were also reports of shelling from Pakistan from Pathankot in Punjab. Unverified claims of explosions were heard close to the airport in Jammu.