Supporters of Markazi Muslim League party burn an Indian flag during a demonstration to condemn Indian missile strikes, in Peshawar, Pakistan, Wednesday, May 7, 2025.AP - Muhammad Sajjad
The EU on Wednesday called on India and Pakistan to take "immediate steps' to de-escalate after India fired missiles into Pakistani-administered territory in several locations in what Pakistan's leader called an act of war. At least 34 people were reported killed – Islamabad said 26 civilians were killed by the Indian strikes and firing along the border, while New Delhi said at least 12 died from Pakistani shelling, the Indian army said. Read our liveblog to see how the day's events unfolded.
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India's defence minister says strikes on Pakistan were 'right to respond'
India's Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said that missile strikes against Pakistan were a "carefully planned" operation that exercised New Delhi's "right to respond".
"The targets we had chosen were destroyed with great precision and sensitivity, ensuring that no civilian population or area was affected," Singh told reporters in New Delhi.
"We only targeted terror camps, exercising our right to respond to the attack on our soil."
Pakistan said 21 civilians were killed in the strikes, with five more deaths reported in cross-border gunfire that followed.
Among the dead were four children, including two three-year-old girls, according to officials in Islamabad.
India-Pakistan situation very concerning, says EU's Foreign Policy Chief
The India-Pakistan situation is very concerning, EU's foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas told reporters on ahead of a meeting with European foreign ministers in Warsaw, adding that EU was trying to mediate and bringing tensions down.
Foreign airlines cancel and divert flights
Airlines including United Airlines and Korean Air re-routed or cancelled flights and about a dozen Indian airports were shut after India staged a reprisal attack on Pakistan that raised fears of an escalation.
Images from flight tracking websites showed a long line of airlines passing over Oman, UAE and Kuwait after the attack, raising the possibility of airspace congestion.
Authorities in Pakistan said 57 international flights were in the country's airspace when India struck. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif's office said India's action "caused grave danger to commercial airlines" belonging to Gulf countries and "endangered lives".
Pakistan later said its airspace was open following closure after the attacks and that its airports were "fully functional."
Images from FlightRadar24 showed some civilian jets flying over Pakistan airspace but India's northwest continued to be deserted.
India dismisses report of Pakistan downing jets as 'disinformation'
The Indian Embassy in China dismissed as "disinformation" a social media post on X by China's state-run Global Times, which said that Pakistan had shot down Indian fighter jets.
The embassy's statement followed the Global Times post, which said that the Pakistan Air Force had downed Indian fighter jets in response to Indian missile strikes on Pakistan.
Tensions soar as India launches missile strikes on Pakistan after Kashmir attack
India and Pakistan are teetering on the edge of war following a series of missile strikes launched by India on Wednesday, targeting sites in Pakistan and Pakistan-controlled Kashmir. The strikes mark a significant escalation in the long-standing tensions between the two nuclear-armed neighbors. According to Indian officials, the attacks were aimed at dismantling terrorist infrastructure in response to last month’s deadly assault by gunmen who killed over two dozen civilians in India-controlled Kashmir. Camille Knight reports with the latest developments.
France, Germany 'deeply worried' by India-Pakistan tensions
France and Germany are highly concerned by clashes between India and Pakistan, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Wednesday, calling for reason to prevail on both sides.
"We are deeply worried by last night's clashes between these two nuclear powers," Merz said at a press conference with French President Emmanuel Macron, adding that "now more than ever... reason and clear-headedness are required".
Kabul warns India, Pakistan that escalation 'not in interest of region'
Afghanistan's Taliban government warned India and Pakistan on Wednesday that further escalation was not "in the interest of the region" after they exchanged artillery fire along their contested frontier.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement on social media platform X that "it urges both sides to exercise restraint and resolve their issues through dialogue and diplomacy".
'A significant escalation': FRANCE 24's Leela Jacinto discusses India's overnight air strikes on Pakistan
UK urges India and Pakistan to show restraint
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Wednesday urged "dialogue" and "de-escalation" after violence between Commonwealth members India and Pakistan.
"Rising tensions between India and Pakistan will be of serious concern for many across Britain," he told parliament.
"We are engaging urgently with both countries, as well as other international partners, encouraging dialogue, de-escalation and the protection of civilians," he added.
Foreign Secretary David Lammy also called for "restraint" between the two nuclear-armed neighbours after they exchanged heavy artillery fire leaving at least 38 dead in the worst tensions in two decades.
"The UK government is urging India and Pakistan to show restraint and engage in direct dialogue to find a swift, diplomatic path forward," he said in a statement.
EU urges India, Pakistan to take 'immediate steps' to de-escalate
The EU on Wednesday urged India and Pakistan to take 'immediate steps' to de-escalate after India fired a series of missiles into Pakistan.
India and Pakistan: A history of conflict since 1947
FRANCE 24’s International Affairs commentator Douglas Herbert provides analysis on the developing situation after India and Pakistan exchanged heavy fire in the worst violence between the nuclear-armed neighbours in two decades.
The latest on India's air strikes with FRANCE 24's correspondent in Islamabad, Shazaib Wahlah
India launches missile strikes on Pakistan, causing death and confusion
India has fired a series of missiles into Pakistan on Wednesday. The large explosions caused injuries, death, blackouts and confusion. The airstrikes targeted several sites, including Pakistan-administered Kachmir and Punjab. They were in retaliation to last month's militant attack which killed 26 tourists, in the Indian-administered portion of Kahmir. Click on the video below for more.
Turkey warns of 'all-out war' risk in India-Pakistan clash
Turkey on Wednesday warned of a risk of "all-out war" between India and Pakistan, after the worst violence between the nuclear-armed neighbours in two decades.
"The attack carried out last night by India runs the risk of an all-out war," said a foreign ministry statement after India's deadly missile strikes. "We condemn this provocative initiative as well as the attacks targeting civilians and civilian infrastructure."
