India has begun striking Pakistan, and Islamabad has promised a "robust response." The Indian operation – named "Sindoor," after the red powder that married Hindu women apply to their hair – was launched shortly after 1 am on Wednesday, May 7, to avenge an April 22 terrorist attack that targeted tourists in Pahalgam, in Indian-controlled Kashmir, which resulted in the deaths of 26 people.

India targeted nine sites in Pakistan's Kashmir and Punjab regions that it said contained bases linked to Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) and Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), terrorist groups that are frequently implicated in attacks on its soil. The Indian army claimed the camps were "succesfully destroyed" in its missile attacks. The targets were located in Muzaffarabad, Kolti, Muridke, Bagh, and Bahawalpur.

The Indian Defense Ministry has claimed the operation was "focused, measured and non-escalatory in nature" and that no Pakistani military installations were targeted. "India has demonstrated considerable restraint in selection of targets and method of execution," the ministry said in a statement.

Pakistan, on the other hand, described it as a "blatant act of war." According to the Pakistani army, the Indians conducted 24 strikes on six sites. A mosque in Bahawalpur, in Pakistan's Punjab region, was reportedly targeted, causing civilian casualties.

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