FLASH
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Two weeks after a deadly militant attack on tourists in Indian-administered Kashmir, the latter has launched a series of attacks on sites in Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir.
The Indian defense ministry said the strikes - dubbed "Operation Sindoor" - were part of a "commitment" to hold "accountable" those responsible for the April 22 attack, which left 25 Indians and a Nepali national dead.
But Pakistan, which has denied any involvement in last month's attack, has described the attacks as "unprovoked", with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif saying that "the heinous act of aggression will not go unpunished".
Pakistan's military says it has shot down five Indian fighter jets and a drone. India has yet to respond to these claims.
Pakistan's military spokesman, Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, said at least 26 people were killed and 46 others wounded. Meanwhile, India said at least seven civilians were killed by Pakistani shelling in Indian-administered Kashmir.
Where was India hit?
Delhi said in the early hours of Wednesday morning that nine different locations had been targeted in both Pakistan-administered Kashmir and Pakistan.
These places were said to be “terrorist infrastructure” – places where attacks were “planned and directed”.
According to Pakistan, three different areas were hit: Muzaffarabad and Kotli in Pakistan-administered Kashmir, and Bahawalpur in Pakistan's Punjab province.
Pakistan's Defense Minister, Khawaja Asif, told GeoTV that the attacks hit civilian areas, adding that India's claim of "targeting terrorist camps" is false.
Why did India launch the attack?
The attacks come after weeks of rising tension between the nuclear-armed neighbors over shootings in the picturesque tourist town of Pahalgam.
The April 22 attack by a group of militants left 26 people dead, with survivors saying the militants were singling out Hindu men.
It was the worst attack on civilians in the region in two decades and caused widespread anger in India.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the country would pursue the suspects "to the ends of the earth" and that those who planned and carried it out "will be punished beyond their imagination."
However, India has not named any group suspected of carrying out the Pahalgam attack and it remains unclear who carried it out.
But Indian police have claimed that two of the attackers were Pakistani nationals, with Delhi accusing Pakistan of supporting militants - a charge Islamabad denies. It says it had nothing to do with the April 22 attacks.
In the two weeks since then, both sides have taken measures against each other – including expelling diplomats, suspending visas and closing border crossings.
But many expected this to escalate into some kind of cross-border attack – as seen after the Pulwama attacks which left 40 Indian paramilitary personnel dead in 2019.
Why is Kashmir a flashpoint between India and Pakistan?
Kashmir is claimed in full by both India and Pakistan, but is only partially administered by each, having been divided following independence from Britain in 1947.
The countries have fought two wars over this.
But recently, it has been militant attacks that have brought both countries to the brink of collapse. Indian-administered Kashmir has seen an armed insurgency against Indian rule since 1989, with militants targeting security forces and civilians alike.
This was the first major attack on civilians since India revoked Article 370 that gave Kashmir semi-autonomous status in 2019.
Following the decision, the region saw protests, but also saw a decline in militancy and a huge increase in the number of tourists visiting the region.
In 2016, after 19 Indian soldiers were killed in Uri, India launched "surgical strikes" across the Line of Control - the de facto border between India and Pakistan - targeting militant bases.
In 2019, the Pulwama bombing, which left 40 Indian paramilitary personnel dead, prompted airstrikes deep into Balakot – the first such action inside Pakistan since 1971 – prompting retaliatory raids and an aerial dogfight.
Neither escalated, but the world at large remains vigilant to the danger that could occur if one were to occur. Various countries and diplomats around the world have made efforts to stop the current situation from escalating.
Now, UN chief Antonio Guterres has called for "maximum restraint", while US President Donald Trump said he hopes the fighting "ends very soon".
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