Operation Sindoor Live Updates: J&K, Punjab, Rajasthan & Gujarat on high alert after Pakistan's failed drone attacks

Enhanced security has been implemented at airports amid rising tensions between India and Pakistan, with some flights affected due to airspace restrictions, officials said on Friday. The Bureau of Civil Aviation Security has mandated secondary ladder point checks for all flights, restricted terminal access for visitors, and tightened overall airport security. Delhi Airport remains operational, though schedules may be impacted. Airlines have urged passengers to arrive at least three hours before domestic departures.

Delhi International Airport Ltd has advised travellers to follow baggage rules and cooperate with staff. Around 27 airports have been closed nationwide following Operation Sindoor, a military response to the recent Pahalgam terror attack. On Thursday, 90 flights were cancelled at Delhi Airport due to evolving conditions.

On Friday, the Army released footage showcasing its "befitting reply" to multiple ceasefire violations by Pakistan during the night of May 8–9. The video follows a series of overnight attacks by the Pakistani Armed Forces, which included the use of drones and other munitions along the western border and the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir.

Pakistan made failed attempts to send swarm drones all across the LoC and International Borders (IB) yesterday. Over 50 drones were successfully neutralised during a large-scale counter-drone operation conducted by Indian Army Air Defence units in Udhampur, Samba, Jammu, Akhnoor, Nagrota, and Pathankot areas.

The central government on Thursday opened two gates at the Baglihar Hydroelectric Power Project in Ramban and three gates at the Salal Dam in Reasi. This reportedly was aimed at managing rising water levels triggered by heavy rainfall in the region and also to manage dam pressure.

All schools across J&K are closed today and tomorrow as a measure of precaution due to ongoing tensions between India and Pakistan.

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Loud explosions rocked Jammu city early Friday morning, leading to a complete blackout just hours after India foiled Pakistan's attempt to strike military installations in border areas. Reports also indicated the presence of loitering munitions in the skies.

The Army successfully intercepted and shot down more than 50 swarm drones on Thursday night, following multiple attempts by Pakistan to breach the Line of Control (LoC) and International Borders, military sources said.

Several houses damaged in Uri's Gingle area as Pakistani troops resorted to firing and shelling in multiple locations near LoC in Jammu and Kashmir.

"Around 9 pm, shelling damaged about 10 houses... We don't yet know if there are any injuries," a local told news agency PTI.

The Leh administration on Friday announced the closure of all schools in the district on May 9 and 10 due to the ongoing tensions between India and Pakistan, officials said.

On Thursday night, India thwarted Pakistan’s attempt to target military installations in Jammu, Pathankot, Udhampur, and several other locations using missiles and drones, amid rising concerns over a broader military conflict between the two nations.

"All government and private schools in Leh district shall remain closed for the next two days," said deputy commissioner, Leh, Santosh Sukhdeva.

"When blackout happened at 9 in the night, we heard the explosions. Earlier, we thought it was firecrackers, but later we realised it was a real bomb, targeted at us. We never thought of experiencing this...We are happy that our government diffused all the Pakistani drones. There is no atmosphere of fear...Indian air defence system is completely efficient," a local tells news agency ANI.

Pakistani drones were intercepted by Indian air defence in Jaisalmer last night.

Speaking on the India-Pakistan conflict, Michael Rubin, former Pentagon official and a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, said that Pakistan started the conflict with its support to terrorism, and India was the victim of it.

While talking to news agency ANI, he said that India's military has shown itself to be much capable.

He said, "Pakistan started the conflict with its support for terrorism. Indians were the victims of terrorism. While I was initially critical that Prime Minister Modi had taken so long to respond, but it's clear that the Indian military was carefully planning and the Indian military has shown itself to be far more capable," he said.

He added that Pakistan is now trying to save its face. He added that when one sees themselves in a hole, they must stop digging.

"Pakistan is thrashing about, looking for a way to save face. But Asim Munir should understand that the first rule of hole digging is when you're in a hole, stop digging... Looking forward, there can only be one metric by which we look at the diplomatic solution to this issue. Pakistan has to be designated by the United States to be a state sponsor of terror," he added.

"OPERATION SINDOOR Pakistan Armed Forces launched multiple attacks using drones and other munitions along entire Western Border on the intervening night of 08 and 09 May 2025. Pak troops also resorted to numerous cease fire violations (CFVs) along the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir. The drone attacks were effectively repulsed and befitting reply was given to the CFVs. Indian Army remains committed to safeguarding the sovereignity and territorial integrity of the Nation. All nefarious designs will be responded with force," posts ADG PI - INDIAN ARMY on X.

Security heightened outside Shri Guru Ram Das Ji International Airport. The entire functions of the airport are shut until further notice.

Nightly blackouts were extended and curfews imposed on Thursday as Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, Rajasthan, and Gujarat reinforced their borders with Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). Authorities in Chandigarh and Haryana’s Panchkula, Ambala, and Sirsa districts also instructed residents to turn off lights and remain indoors during the night.

Officials said electricity was cut off across the Kashmir valley on Thursday evening as a precautionary step, stressing that there is no cause for alarm. "Blackout in Srinagar. God knows what awaits us," wrote PDP member Iltija Mufti on X.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday instructed around 20 key secretaries overseeing critical sectors to stay vigilant and ensure the "fool-proof functioning of essential systems," with a particular emphasis on preparedness, emergency response, and internal communication protocols.

The United States has made it clear that it does not intend to intervene in a conflict it views as "fundamentally none of our business".

Speaking in a television interview on Thursday, Vice President JD Vance said that while Washington cannot control the actions of India and Pakistan, it can play a role in encouraging both nuclear-armed nations to de-escalate.

"Look, we're concerned about any time nuclear powers collide and have a major conflict," Vance said when asked about the Trump administration’s concerns over the possibility of nuclear war between the two countries.

Vance cited President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, both of whom have stressed that the United States wants the situation to "de-escalate" as soon as possible.

"We can't control these countries though. Fundamentally, India has its gripes with Pakistan. Pakistan has responded to India. What we can do is try to encourage these folks to de-escalate a little bit. But we're not going to get involved in the middle of war that's fundamentally none of our business and has nothing to do with America's ability to control it," the vice president said.

He said that the United States cannot force either side to disarm and will continue to rely on diplomacy to prevent the situation from escalating.

"America can't tell the Indians to lay down their arms. We can't tell the Pakistanis to lay down their arms. And so we're going to continue to pursue this thing through diplomatic channels. Our hope and our expectation is that this is not going to spiral into a broader regional war or, God forbid, a nuclear conflict, but sure, we're worried about these things.

"But I think the job of diplomacy, but also the job of cooler heads in India and Pakistan is to make sure this doesn't become a nuclear war. If it happened of course it would be disastrous. Right now we don't think that's going to happen," he said. (PTI)

A complete blackout has been enforced in Jammu after sirens were heard and explosions were reported near the Line of Control (LoC) in Poonch and Rajouri districts early on Friday morning, amid rising tensions in the region.

Earlier, explosions were also heard near the LoC in the Poonch and Rajouri districts of Jammu and Kashmir.

Further details are awaited.

Amid escalating tensions between India and Pakistan, explosions were heard early Friday morning near the Line of Control (LoC) in the Poonch and Rajouri districts of Jammu and Kashmir. Further information is awaited.

In a related development, the Border Security Force (BSF) successfully thwarted a major infiltration attempt along the International Boundary in the Samba district of Jammu and Kashmir on Thursday night.

The infiltration bid occurred around 11 pm on May 8.

In a post on X, BSF Jammu wrote, "At around 2300 hours on 8 May 2025, BSF foiled a major infiltration bid at the International Boundary in Samba district, J&K."