The aerial confrontation between Pakistan and India, which Pakistani officials claim resulted in the downing of five Indian aircraft, was described by a senior Pakistani security source to CNN as one of the most significant and prolonged in modern aviation history.
A total of 125 fighter jets engaged in combat for over an hour, with both sides remaining within their respective airspaces. The source noted that missile exchanges occurred at distances sometimes exceeding 160 kilometers (100 miles). Neither side was willing to deploy their pilots across the border due to a previous smaller engagement in 2019, where an Indian Air Force pilot was shot down in Pakistani territory and publicly displayed before being returned to India—a situation both sides sought to avoid this time.
At times, the Indian Air Force had to make multiple attempts at striking targets, as per the source. Pakistan made efforts to alert civilians in areas identified as potential targets, and the military succeeded in reducing civilian casualties.
A senior French intelligence official informed CNN that Pakistan has shot down an Indian Air Force (IAF) Rafale fighter jet, marking the first instance of a French-made warplane being lost in combat.
Pakistan asserted that it downed five IAF jets in response to Indian airstrikes, which included three Rafales. Indian authorities have not yet addressed this assertion.
Today, President Donald Trump of the United States urged for a reduction in tensions between India and Pakistan after a significant increase in hostilities between the two nations.
Speaking from the Oval Office, he expressed his readiness to help mitigate the ongoing violence. ‘I have a good relationship with both countries. I am familiar with both, and I hope they can resolve their issues. I want to see an end to this conflict, and I hope it can happen soon,’ Trump remarked, describing the situation as ‘extremely unfortunate.’
Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has pledged to take action in response to India’s attacks in Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir that occurred early Wednesday morning.
The nature of this response could determine whether the two nations can de-escalate tensions or become entrenched in a worsening conflict. One potential course of action for Pakistan is to assert a victory by highlighting the aircraft it claims to have shot down. This assertion hinges on the validity of Pakistan’s reports of having downed five Indian Air Force planes, including three Rafale fighter jets manufactured in France.
If India has indeed suffered losses, ‘Pakistan could declare victory by referencing the downed aircraft, even if the details remain unclear. This would enable Pakistan to assert that it has inflicted costs on Indian military assets,’ noted Milan Vaishnav, a senior fellow and director of the South Asia Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.
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