Translated with AI
The escalation of the armed conflict between India and Pakistan has reached a new phase: on Saturday morning, May 10, the Pakistani government announced the launch of a large-scale military operation codenamed "Banyan un Marsus" ("Strong Wall"). The pretext for the offensive was accusations against India of launching missile strikes on a number of Pakistani military facilities.
According to information released by the Pakistani armed forces’ press service, the attack came less than an hour after General Ahmad Sharif Chaudhry, a spokesman for the Pakistani army, accused India of launching a missile attack on three strategic air bases. Among them is the Nur Khan air base, located in the city of Rawalpindi, just 10 kilometers from the capital Islamabad. The Nur Khan air base plays a key role in the control of the Pakistan Air Force and serves as the headquarters of the military command.
According to Pakistani authorities, some of the Indian missiles launched at their territory were intercepted by air defense systems, but the attack itself was assessed as direct aggression requiring an “immediate and proportionate response.”
As part of the launched operation "Banyan un Marsus", as reported by Geo TV channel, citing sources in the security forces, the Pakistani army struck 25 targets in India. Among the declared objects are the Udhampur and Pathankot air bases, a warehouse of supersonic BrahMos missiles in the city of Beas, as well as the S-400 air defense system in Adampur. The Indian side, in turn, rejected these statements, calling the information about the destruction of military facilities "unfounded and untrue."
An Indian military spokesman called Pakistan's actions a "blatant escalation" and said dozens of Pakistani drones had been shot down in border areas. The Indian government responded to the air strike by saying it viewed it as a threat to national security and was prepared to give a "robust and disproportionate response" if aggression continued.
The total number of victims since the conflict escalated is estimated to be at least 50 people. Fatalities have been registered among both military personnel and civilians on both sides of the border. The exact scale of the destruction and the number of victims are currently being clarified.
The situation has attracted the attention of the world community. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio held a telephone conversation with Pakistani Army Chief General Asim Munir on the evening of May 9. According to the US State Department, the American side expressed concern about what was happening and called on both countries to immediately de-escalate the conflict. Rubio also offered to help organize direct negotiations between New Delhi and Islamabad.
Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif called an emergency meeting of the country's National Command Authority, the body responsible for making decisions on defense and nuclear policy, in response to the developments. The Pakistani military issued an official statement stressing that the country "does not seek war but has the right to self-defense."
The conflict escalated on the night of May 7, when India launched Operation Sindoor, which involved missile strikes on nine targets in Pakistan and Pakistan-controlled Kashmir. The Indian side claims that the targets were linked to extremist groups that were allegedly planning attacks against Indian citizens. One of the pretexts was an attack on tourists in Indian-controlled Kashmir on April 22, which killed 26 people. Pakistan denied involvement in the incident and regarded the strikes as a violation of international law.
The conflict between India and Pakistan remains one of the most dangerous in the world, given that both countries possess nuclear weapons. Both countries have fought in the past, including three full-scale wars and a series of armed clashes in the Kashmir region.
Experts express concerns that the current escalation could spiral out of control and develop into a larger military campaign, the consequences of which could be catastrophic for the South Asian region and international security as a whole.
