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At least ten civilians, including two children, were killed and around 30 others injured in cross-border shelling and firing in Jammu and Kashmir’s Poonch sector late Tuesday, according to the Indian Army. The incident took place along the Line of Control (LoC) and the International Border. The Army stated that it responded to the firing in a proportionate manner. The victims have been identified as Mohd Adil, Saleem Hussain, Ruby Kour, Mohd Akram, Amrik Singh, Ranjit Singh, Mohd Rafi, Mohd Iqbal, and two minors – Mohd Zain and Zoya Khan. Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah is expected to meet officials from the affected border areas to discuss the situation. The exchange of fire followed a military operation earlier that day, during which Indian forces reportedly conducted air and ground strikes targeting several locations described as training facilities in Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir. The operation, named ‘Sindoor’, was said to involve all three branches of the Indian armed forces – the Army, Navy, and Air Force – and marked the first such joint action since the 1971 conflict. Death toll from Indian missile strike rises to 13: Pakistani official Sources cited by NDTV claimed the strikes resulted in an estimated 70 fatalities and around 60 injuries among suspected militants, potentially affecting the operational strength of the targeted groups. Pakistan has reported nine civilian deaths on its side of the border. Indian officials have previously shared what they described as evidence suggesting involvement of elements within Pakistan in planning a recent attack in Pahalgam, which left 26 people dead. The Resistance Front, believed to be linked to the Lashkar-e-Taiba, had claimed responsibility. Reported strike locations included Bahawalpur, Muridke, Gulpur, Sawai, Kotli, Sarjal, Barnala, and Mehmoona – areas said to be associated with various armed groups. The Indian military reportedly employed a range of precision weapons in the operation, including SCALP cruise missiles, Hammer bombs, and loitering munitions—drones capable of hovering over targets before striking. Source: With input from NDTV

Referring to "OPERATION SINDOOR", India has said no Pakistani military facilities have been targeted. "India has demonstrated considerable restraint in selection of targets and method of execution," said the Indian Defence Ministry in a media release, adding that their actions have been focused, measured and non-escalatory in nature. The Indian Armed Forces launched ‘OPERATION SINDOOR’, hitting terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir from where terrorist attacks against India have been planned and directed. Altogether, nine sites have been targeted, the Press Information Bureau of India said quoting Indian Defence Ministry. Pakistan calls Indian missile strikes ‘Act of War’ These steps come in the wake of the barbaric Pahalgam terrorist attack in which 25 Indians and one Nepali citizen were murdered, it said. "We are living up to the commitment that those responsible for this attack will be held accountable," said the Indian government. There will be detailed briefing on ‘OPERATION SINDOOR’ today.

The United Nations and the United States have urged both India and Pakistan to exercise maximum restraint following deadly missile strikes by India into Pakistani territory that Islamabad has condemned as an "unprovoked act of war." UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, through his spokesperson Stephane Dujarric, expressed deep concern over India’s military operations across the Line of Control and the international border. “The world cannot afford a military confrontation between India and Pakistan,” the statement warned, calling for restraint from both nuclear-armed neighbors. US Democratic Senator Jeanne Shaheen also voiced alarm, urging both countries to prioritize diplomacy. Referring to the April 22 attack on Indian civilians, Shaheen said the perpetrators must be brought to justice swiftly, while underlining the need for calm to avoid further escalation. Meanwhile, Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry condemned India’s actions as a “blatant act of war,” accusing it of targeting civilians, including women and children. The statement claimed India’s missile strikes endangered civilian air traffic and violated international law. It rejected India’s justification of targeting “terrorist infrastructure,” branding it as a fabrication aimed at deflecting blame. The Pakistani government said it retains the right to respond under Article 51 of the UN Charter, with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif vowing retaliation. “A strong and appropriate response is already underway,” he said on social media. India launches strikes on Pakistan, Pakistan-administered Kashmir Tensions intensified further after Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif told international media that Pakistani forces had shot down five Indian aircraft and captured Indian soldiers. He asserted that Pakistan's military response targeted Indian military facilities, not civilians. On the Indian side, authorities reported that three civilians were killed in Kashmir due to Pakistani artillery fire. The Indian Army said it was responding proportionately to cross-border shelling. India’s Ministry of Defense claimed its missile operation targeted nine locations associated with planning recent attacks against Indian civilians, asserting that no Pakistani military installations were hit. The operation, named “Sindoor,” was described as “focused, measured, and non-escalatory.” However, Pakistan's military said Indian missiles struck six areas in Pakistan-administered Kashmir and Punjab province, including a mosque where a child was killed. Dozens more were injured, and hospitals in affected areas declared emergencies. The escalation has disrupted civilian life across both countries. Airports in Indian-administered Kashmir and parts of northern India, including Srinagar, Leh, and Amritsar, were closed. Airlines such as Air India, IndiGo, and Qatar Airways have suspended or rerouted flights due to changing airspace conditions. In Pakistan, schools in Punjab province were shut and hospital staff called to duty amid emergency conditions. The UAE joined global calls for restraint, urging both India and Pakistan to de-escalate and resolve differences through diplomacy. Meanwhile, India’s National Security Adviser Ajit Doval briefed US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on its military action, which India insists was based on solid intelligence linking Pakistan-based groups to the April massacre. Analysts warn that the situation marks one of the most serious escalations between India and Pakistan in years. “Both countries have powerful conventional forces and nuclear weapons, and the risks of further escalation are very real,” said South Asia analyst Michael Kugelman. At least 8 killed in Indian missile strikes on six Pakistani locations: ISPR chief Civil defense drills were planned in parts of India on the same day as the strikes, signaling heightened alertness. Factories, schools, and infrastructure were set to conduct emergency preparedness activities. As tensions continue to rise, both nations face growing international pressure to step back from the brink and avoid a broader conflict. Source: With inputs from agency 

India launched missile attacks on several sites in Pakistan-administered territory early Wednesday, killing at least eight people, including a child, in what Pakistan’s leadership has termed an “act of war.” According to Indian authorities, the strikes targeted infrastructure allegedly used by militants linked to the recent massacre of tourists in Indian-administered Kashmir. Meanwhile, the Indian army reported that three civilians were killed in Pakistani shelling in Indian-controlled Kashmir. Tensions have sharply escalated between the nuclear-armed rivals following the deadly attack in Kashmir, which India blames on Pakistan-backed militants—an allegation Islamabad has firmly denied. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned the strikes, calling them “cowardly” and vowed retaliation. “Pakistan reserves the right to respond forcefully to this act of war, and a strong response is already underway,” he stated. A meeting of the National Security Committee was convened for Wednesday morning. Lt. Gen. Ahmed Sharif, spokesperson for Pakistan’s military, said India launched missiles at six locations in Punjab province and Pakistan-administered Kashmir, killing eight and injuring 38 others. One strike hit a mosque in Bahawalpur, killing a child. Other areas struck include Muridke, Kotli, and Muzaffarabad. At least 8 killed in Indian missile strikes on six Pakistani locations: ISPR chief India’s Defence Ministry claimed nine locations linked to terrorist activity were hit in a “measured, focused and non-escalatory” operation named “Sindoor.” It emphasized that no Pakistani military installations were targeted. In Indian-controlled Kashmir, intense cross-border shelling continued along the Line of Control, with the Indian army accusing Pakistani troops of unprovoked firing that killed three civilians. Separately, an aircraft crash was reported in southern Wuyan village, where a plane fell on a school building, sparking fires and panic. Pakistan said its air force had downed five Indian jets in retaliation, though India has yet to comment on that claim. The missile attacks triggered widespread panic, with hospitals in affected Pakistani regions placed on emergency alert and schools shut down. Authorities in Muzaffarabad reported major damage, blackouts, and people fleeing their homes fearing more strikes. The UN called for restraint, warning of the grave risks of further escalation between the two nuclear powers. “The world cannot afford a military confrontation between India and Pakistan,” said UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric. India launches strikes on Pakistan, Pakistan-administered Kashmir Following the strikes, India’s National Security Advisor Ajit Doval reportedly spoke with U.S. officials, including NSA Marco Rubio and Secretary of State, to share what India described as “credible intelligence” linking Pakistan-based groups to the Kashmir attack. Source: With inputs from agency 

A Pakistani official said Indian missile strike on Bahawalpur mosque killed 13, including women and children.  Earlier, Lt. Ge Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, Director General of the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) of Pakistan’s military said at least eight people were killed and 35 others injured after Indian forces launched missile strikes on six locations across Pakistan.   Speaking at a brief late-night press conference, Chaudhry said India carried out a total of 24 strikes, with the most severe attack targeting Ahmedpur Sharqia, near Bahawalpur in Punjab province. A mosque compound was hit there, killing five people, including a three-year-old girl. India launches strikes on Pakistan, Pakistan-administered Kashmir Other targeted areas included Muridke city, a village near Sialkot, and Shakargarh, also in Punjab. Additionally, two sites in Pakistan-administered Kashmir—Muzaffarabad and Kotli—were struck, resulting in the destruction of two mosques. A 16-year-old girl and an 18-year-old boy were killed in those attacks. Chaudhry did not comment on earlier reports that Indian jets had been shot down. Three civilians killed by Pakistani artillery fire, Indian army says India’s army says three civilians were killed overnight by Pakistani artillery fire. Pakistan calls Indian missile strikes ‘Act of War’ The Pakistani army “resorted to arbitrary firing” across the Line of Control, the de facto border dividing Kashmir, the army said in a statement. “Three innocent civilians lost their lives in indiscriminate firing/shelling”, the army said, adding that Indian forces were “responding in proportionate manner”. Source: With inputs from agency 

India fired missiles across the border into Pakistani-controlled territory in at least three locations early Wednesday, killing at a child and wounding two other people, Pakistani security officials said. India said it was striking infrastructure used by militants. India also claims there are casualties from Pakistani fire in the Indian-controlled portion of Kashmir. Tensions have soared between the nuclear-armed neighbors over last month’s militant attack on tourists in the Indian-controlled portion. India has blamed Pakistan for backing the militant attack, which Islamabad has denied. India has moved to punish Pakistan after accusing it of backing the attack in Pahalgam, which Islamabad denies. The region has been split between India and Pakistan since 1949 and is claimed by both in its entirety. Aircraft crashes on a school building in the outskirts of main city in Indian-controlled Kashmir An unknown aircraft has crashed on a school building in the outskirts of the main city in Indian-controlled Kashmir. Police and residents said the aircraft fell in the early hours Wednesday, shortly after India launched missile strikes on Pakistan. “There was a huge fire in the sky. Then we heard several blasts also,” said Mohammed Yousuf Dar, a local resident in southern Wuyan village in Pampore area, where the incident occurred. Firefighters struggled for hours to extinguish the fires. Police and military officials sealed off the area immediately after the incident. India says Pakistani army shelling kills 3 India’s army says three civilians were killed in Pakistani shelling into Indian-controlled Kashmir. It says the Pakistani army “resorted to arbitrary firing” across the de facto border that divides disputed Kashmir between the two countries. Pakistan tells UN it reserves right to respond Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs says Islamabad has informed the U.N. Security Council about the Indian attacks and the threat it poses to international peace and security. The ministry says in a statement that the Security Council was told that “Pakistan reserves the right to respond appropriately to this aggression at a time and place of its choosing.” Officials say India used precision strike weapons systems Indian security officials say that army, navy and air force personnel used precision strike weapon systems, including drones, to carry out the strikes. The officials said that intelligence agencies provided coordinates for the strikes and that all operations were executed from Indian territory. The officials said the strikes targeted the headquarters of militant groups Jaish-e-Mohammed in Bahawalpur and Lashkar-e-Taiba in Muridke. South Asia analyst says Pakistan's response will ‘pack a punch’ Geopolitical analyst Michael Kugelman said that “these are some of the most high-intensity Indian strikes in Pakistan in years, and Pakistan’s response will surely pack a punch as well.” “These are two strong militaries that, even with nuclear weapons as a deterrent, are not afraid to deploy sizeable levels of conventional military force against each other. The escalation risks are real. And they could well increase, and quickly,” Kugelman said in an interview with The Associated Press. Rubio says he hopes the latest conflict ends quickly The U.S. secretary of state says in a post on X that “I am monitoring the situation between India and Pakistan closely.” Rubio continued: “I echo @POTUS’s comments earlier today that this hopefully ends quickly and will continue to engage both Indian and Pakistani leadership towards a peaceful resolution.” Trump said earlier Tuesday that he hopes the fighting “ends very quickly” and called it “a shame.” Indian airlines cancel some flights SpiceJet says it cancelled flights to Srinagar, Indian-controlled Kashmir’s main city, and to the cities of Dharamshala, Leh, Jammu and Amritsar in northern India after their airports were “closed until further notice.” Dhaka seeks peace, not conflict: Touhid tells his Pak counterpart There was no immediate comment from India’s civil aviation ministry. Two other Indian airlines also said they were cancelling their flights to the airports till possibly later Wednesday. Indian official says Prime Minister Modi monitored the operation An Indian official says Prime Minister Narendra Modi monitored the operation against Pakistan through the night. The government official says there were nine targets that were hit “successfully.” The official spoke on condition of anonymity as he wasn’t authorized to disclose details. Pakistani official says eight killed and dozens injured Lt. Gen. Ahmed Sharif, Pakistan’s military spokesperson, says India attacked six locations, killing eight people and injuring 38 others. He said in televised remarks that five civilians were killed in Ahmedpur East in Punjab province and that three people were killed at other locations. Sharig says that “retaliatory action is being taken in response to the enemy’s attacks.” Emergency declared in hospitals in Pakistan-controlled Kashmir Waqar Noor, the region’s interior minister, says authorities have declared an emergency in local hospitals. In Muzaffarabad, the main city of Pakistan-controlled Kashmir, resident Abdul Sammad says he heard several explosions and that some people were wounded in the attack. He says people were running in panic and that authorities immediately cut the power, leading to a blackout. Indian police say a woman is killed and a girl is injured during border fight Police say a woman was killed and a girl was wounded in Indian-controlled Kashmir when Indian and Pakistani soldiers exchanged mortar and gunfire at several places along the highly militarized frontier. A local doctor says the woman was killed in the Mankote area of the Poonch district. The doctor spoke on condition of anonymity as he was not authorized to speak to the media. India says official spoke with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio India’s embassy in Washington says that Ajit Doval, the country’s national security adviser, has spoken U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio shortly after the Indian strikes. The Embassy says in a statement that India’s actions “were measured, responsible and designed to be non-escalatory in nature. No Pakistani civilian, economic or military targets have been hit. Only known terror camps were targeted.” Pakistan says a child was killed and two people injured in attack A Pakistani official says one missile struck a mosque in the city of Bahawalpur in Punjab, where a child was killed and a woman and man were injured. The official and others say Pakistan launched retaliatory strikes but didn’t provide any details. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to the media. Pakistan condemns what it calls Indian Air Force strikes on civilian areas The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has condemned what it calls a “blatant and unprovoked act of aggression” on civilian areas by the Indian Air Force. It says Indian aircraft lunched strikes from Indian airspace, targeting civilian areas in Pakistan-administered Kashmir and in Punjab province. The ministry says in a statement that the attack reportedly resulted in civilian casualties, including women and children, and posed a significant threat to commercial air traffic.UN secretary-general calls for restraint U.N. spokesperson Stephane Dujarric says in a statement that Secretary General Antonio Guterres is calling for restraint from both countries. “The world cannot afford a military confrontation between India and Pakistan,” the statement read. Pakistan’s defense minister condemns what he calls a ‘cowardly act’ Defense Minister Khawaja Mohammad Asif has strongly condemned what he calls a “cowardly act by India.” He told Pakistan’s Geo news channel that India had deliberately targeted civilian populations and a mosque. “This was a cowardly move by India,” Asif said. “We will also respond.” Indian army says Pakistan fired artillery along the border The Indian army says in a statement that Pakistan fired artillery along what’s known as the de facto border, or the Line of Control, in Bhimber Gali in India-controlled Kashmir. It said India’s armed forces were “responding appropriately in a calibrated manner.” Pakistan’s Sharif convenes national security committee Pakistan’s prime minister has convened a meeting of the National Security Committee on Wednesday morning, according to a government announcement. Pakistan's prime minister calls Indian action an ‘act of war’ In a statement, Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said that “Pakistan has every right to give a robust response to this act of war imposed by India, and a strong response is indeed being given.” Sharif said the entire nation stands with the Pakistan Armed Forces, and the morale and spirit of the Pakistani people are high. “The Pakistani nation and the Pakistan Armed Forces know very well how to deal with the enemy,” he said. “We will never let the enemy succeed in its nefarious objectives.” Trump says he hopes fighting ‘ends very quickly’ President Donald Trump was asked about the airstrikes India launched in Pakistani-controlled territory and said he’d just heard about it an said, “It’s a shame.” “I guess people knew something was going to happen based on a little bit of the past. They’ve been fighting for a long time. They’ve been fighting for many, many decades. And centuries, actually, if you really think about it,” Trump said. Fire along the frontier India and Pakistan accused each other of initiating the attacks. The incidents could not be independently verified. In the past, each side has accused the other of starting border skirmishes in the Himalayan region. Strikes follow a militant attack on Kashmir last month The strikes come amid soaring tensions between the nuclear-armed neighbors over last month’s militant attack on tourists in the Indian-controlled portion of Kashmir. India has blamed Pakistan for backing the militant attack, which Islamabad has denied. India fires missiles across the frontier with Pakistan, killing at least 1 child, officials say India fired missiles across the border into Pakistani-controlled territory in at least three locations early Wednesday, killing at a child and wounding two other people, Pakistani security officials said. India said it was striking infrastructure used by militants. The missiles early Wednesday struck locations in Pakistan-administered Kashmir and in the country’s eastern Punjab province, according to three Pakistani security officials. One of them struck a mosque in the city of Bahawalpur in Punjab, where a child was killed, and a woman and man were injured, one official said. The officials said Pakistan had launched retaliatory strikes, without providing any details. The officials spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media on the record. India says at least nine sites were targeted India’s Defense Ministry said in a statement Wednesday that at least nine sites were targeted “where terrorist attacks against India have been planned.” “Our actions have been focused, measured and non-escalatory in nature. No Pakistan military facilities have been targeted,” the statement said, adding that “India has demonstrated considerable restraint in selection of targets and method of execution.”

 Hundreds of Indian tourists, families and honeymooners, drawn by the breathtaking Himalayan beauty, were enjoying a picture-perfect meadow in Kashmir. They didn’t know gunmen in army fatigues were lurking in the woods. When the attackers got their chance, they shot mostly Indian Hindu men, many of them at close-range, leaving behind bodies strewn across the Baisaran meadow and survivors screaming for help. The gunmen quickly vanished into thick forests. By the time Indian authorities arrived, 26 people were dead and 17 others were wounded. India has described the April 22 massacre as a terror attack and blamed Pakistan for backing it, an accusation denied by Islamabad. India swiftly announced diplomatic actions against its archrival Pakistan, which responded with its own tit-for-tat measures. The assailants are still on the run, as calls in India for military action against Pakistan are growing. World leaders are scrambling to de-escalate the tensions between two nuclear-armed neighbors, which have historically relied on third countries for conflict management. But the massacre has also touched a raw nerve. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s administration has governed Kashmir with an iron fist in recent years, claiming militancy in the region was in check and a tourism influx was a sign of normalcy returning. Those claims now lie shattered. India admits security lapse Security experts and former intelligence and senior military officers who have served in the region say Modi’s government — riding on a nationalistic fervor over Kashmir to please its supporters — missed warning signs. The government acknowledged that in a rare admission. Iran's top diplomat holds talks in Pakistan to mediate in escalation with India over Kashmir attack Two days after the attack, Kiren Rijiju, India’s parliamentary affairs minister, said that a crucial all-party meeting discussed “where the lapses occurred.” “We totally missed ... the intentions of our hostile neighbor,” said Avinash Mohananey, a former Indian intelligence officer who has operated in Kashmir and Pakistan. The meadow, near the resort town of Pahalgam, can be reached by trekking or pony rides, and visitors cross at least three security camps and a police station to reach there. According to Indian media, there was no security presence for more than 1,000 tourists that day. Pahalgam serves as a base for an annual Hindu pilgrimage that draws hundreds of thousands of people from across India. The area is ringed by thick woods that connect with forest ranges in the Jammu area, where Indian troops have faced attacks by rebels in recent years after fighting ebbed in the Kashmir Valley, the heart of an anti-India rebellion. The massacre brought Modi’s administration almost back to where it started when a suicide car bombing in the region in 2019 prompted his government to strip Kashmir of its semi-autonomy and bring it under direct federal rule. Tensions have simmered ever since, but the region has also drawn millions of visitors amid a strange calm enforced by an intensified security crackdown. “We probably started buying our own narrative that things were normal in Kashmir,” Mohananey said. In the past, insurgents have carried out brazen attacks and targeted Hindu pilgrims, Indian Hindu as well as Muslim immigrant workers, and local Hindus and Sikhs. However, this time a large number of tourists were attacked, making it one of the worst massacres involving civilians in recent years. The attack outraged people in Kashmir and India, where it led to calls of swift action against Pakistan. Indian television news channels amplified these demands and panelists argued that India should invade Pakistan. Modi and his senior ministers vowed to hunt down the attackers and their backers. Experts say much of the public pressure on the Indian government to act militarily against Pakistan falls within the pattern of long, simmering animosity between both countries. “All the talk of military options against Pakistan mainly happens in echo chambers and feeds a nationalist narrative,” in India, New Delhi-based counterterrorism expert Ajai Sahni said. “It doesn’t matter what will be done. We will be told it was done and was a success,” he said. “And it will be celebrated nonetheless.” Modi’s optimism misplaced, experts say Experts also say that the Modi government’s optimism was also largely misplaced and that its continuous boasting of rising tourism in the region was a fragile barometer of normalcy. Last year, Omar Abdullah, Kashmir’s top elected official, cautioned against such optimism. “By this attack, Pakistan wants to convey that there is no normalcy in Kashmir and that tourism is no indicator for it. They want to internationalize the issue,” said D.S. Hooda, former military commander for northern India between 2014 to 2016. Hooda said the “choice of targets and the manner in which the attack was carried out indicates that it was well-planned.” “If there would have been a good security cover, maybe this incident would not have happened,” he said. India sees Pakistan connection to the attack Indian security experts believe the attack could be a retaliation for a passenger train hijacking in Pakistan in March by Baloch insurgents. Islamabad accused New Delhi of orchestrating the attack in which 25 people were killed. India denies it. Diplomatic, military standoff grows between India and Pakistan over Kashmir attack Mohananey said that Indian authorities should have taken the accusations seriously and beefed-up security in Kashmir, while arguing there was a striking similarity in both attacks since only men were targeted. “It was unusual that women and children were spared" in both cases, Mohananey said. Two senior police officers, who have years of counterinsurgency experience in Kashmir, said after the train attack in Pakistan that they were anticipating some kind of reaction in the region by militants. The officers, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter, said that security officials perceived the threat of an imminent attack, and Modi’s inauguration of a strategic rail line in the region was canceled. A large-scale attack on tourists, however, wasn't anticipated, because there was no such precedence, the officers said. Hooda, who commanded what New Delhi called “surgical strikes” against militants in the Pakistan-controlled part of Kashmir in 2016, said that the attack has deepened thinking that it was time to tackle the Pakistani state, not just militants. Such calculus could be a marked shift. In 2016 and 2019, India said that its army struck militant infrastructure inside Pakistan after two major militant attacks against its soldiers. “After this attack,” Hooda said, India wants to stop Pakistan "from using terrorism as an instrument of state policy.” “We need to tighten our security and plug lapses, but the fountainhead of terrorism needs to be tackled,” Hooda said. “The fountainhead is Pakistan.”

On Monday, Israel’s military launched a series of intense airstrikes against Houthi rebels in Yemen’s Red Sea province of Hodeida, resulting in at least one death and 35 injuries. The attacks followed the rebels’ missile strike a day earlier that hit Israel’s main airport. According to the Houthis’ media office, at least six airstrikes targeted the vital Hodeida port during the afternoon. Additional strikes reportedly hit a cement plant in the Bajil district, located about 55 kilometers (34 miles) northeast of Hodeida city. The full extent of the damage at both sites remains unknown. The Israeli military confirmed that over 20 fighter jets participated in the assault, releasing more than 50 bombs on multiple targets. Residents in Hodeida reported hearing loud explosions at the port, with smoke and flames visible in the area. They also said ambulance sirens echoed throughout the city. “The blasts were extremely powerful,” said Ahmed Saleh, a local resident living near the port. In Bajil, fires and thick columns of smoke were seen over the cement factory, which the Houthis said was hit by both U.S. and Israeli strikes. Ambulances also rushed to the area, said resident Khalid Seif. The Houthi-run health ministry said at least one person was killed and 35 others were wounded in the Israeli strikes on the factory. It said rescuers were still searching for missing people. On Sunday, the Houthis launched a missile from Yemen that struck an access road near Israel’s main airport, briefly halting flights and commuter traffic. Four people were lightly injured. It was the first time a missile struck the grounds of Israel’s airport since the start of the war. The Houthis claimed that the strikes were a joint Israeli-American operation. However, a U.S. defense official said U.S. forces did not participate in the Israeli strikes on Yemen on Monday. The strikes were not part of Operation Rough Rider, which is the ongoing U.S. military operation against the Houthis in Yemen to prevent them from targeting ships in the Red Sea that started March 15. The official spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive matters. Iran's top diplomat holds talks in Pakistan to mediate in escalation with India over Kashmir attack Separately, the U.S. military launched multiple strikes Monday on Sanaa, another U.S. official said. That official also spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss military operations. Nasruddin Amer, head of the Houthi media office, said the Israeli strikes won’t deter the rebels, vowing they will respond to the attack. “The aggressive Zionist-American raids on civilian facilities will not affect our military operations against the Zionist enemy entity,” he said on social media. He said the Houthis will escalate their attacks and won’t stop targeting shipping routes and Israel until it stops the war in Gaza. The Houthis have targeted Israel throughout the war in solidarity with Palestinians, raising their profile at home and internationally as the last member of Iran’s self-described “Axis of Resistance” capable of launching regular attacks on Israel. The U.S. military under President Donald Trump has launched an intensified campaign of daily airstrikes targeting the Houthis since March 15. Houthi rebels have fired at Israel since the war with Gaza began on Oct. 7, 2023. The missiles have mostly been intercepted, although some have penetrated Israel’s missile defense systems, causing damage. Israel has struck back against the rebels in Yemen. The Israeli military said it targeted the Hodeida port because Houthi rebels were using it to receive weapons and military equipment from Iran. Rebel-held Hodeida, about 145 kilometers (90 miles) southwest of the capital Sanaa, has been key for food shipments into Yemen as its decade-long war continues. Israel has struck Yemen, and specifically the port city of Hodeida, multiple times. It previously struck Hodeida and its oil infrastructure in July after a Houthi drone attack killed one person and wounded 10 in Tel Aviv. In September, Israel struck Hodeida again, killing at least four people after a rebel missile targeted Israel’s Ben Gurion airport as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was arriving back to the country. In December, Israeli strikes killed at least nine people in Hodeida. The Houthis have launched multiple missiles toward Israel in the past week. The attack on Ben-Gurion International Airport on Sunday came hours before Israeli Cabinet ministers voted to expand the war in Gaza, including to seize the Gaza Strip and to stay in the Palestinian territory for an unspecified amount of time. While air traffic resumed after an hour, the attack could lead to cancelations of many airlines, which had recently resumed flights to Israel.    

Iran’s foreign minister held talks with top Pakistani officials on Monday to try and mediate in the escalation between Islamabad and New Delhi after last month’s deadly attack on tourists in the Indian-controlled part of Kashmir. Abbas Araghchi's visit to Islamabad was the first by a foreign dignitary since tensions flared in the wake of the April 22 massacre of 26 people — most of them Indian Hindu tourists — in the town of Pahalgam, which India blames on Pakistan, an accusation that Islamabad denies. Tehran has offered to help ease tensions between the nuclear-armed neighbors. Araghchi held separate meetings with President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who thanked him for his peace efforts, according to government statements. Araghchi will visit India this week, according to Pakistani state-run media. Pakistan's military has been on high alert after Cabinet Minister Attaullah Tarar cited intelligence indicating that India could attack. Pakistan has denied any role in the massacre of mostly Indian tourists, and offered to cooperate with an international investigation. India hasn't accepted the offer so far, and several world leaders have urged both sides to exercise restraint and avoid further escalation. Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said in televised remarks that Pakistan “will exercise full restraint, but if India takes any adventurous step, then we will give a befitting response.” According to a ministry statement, Dar in talks with Araghchi rejected what he described as India’s attempts to implicate Pakistan in the Kashmir attack. Dar had earlier welcomed mediation to defuse the tensions with India. Since last week, he said that he's spoken to more than a dozen foreign dignitaries, including U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. Iran's foreign minister visits Pakistan to help defuse tensions with India over Kashmir attack “We will not be the first to take any escalatory step,” Dar said, adding that he had warned the international community that, should there be “any act of aggression by India, Pakistan will resolutely defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity.” He accused the Indian air force of attempting to breach Pakistani airspace on April 28. Pakistan scrambled aircraft and forced Indian jets to turn back, he said. There was no immediate comment from India on those claims. Indian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal wrote on X that Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday and “strongly condemned the terror attack in Pahalgam." Kashmir is split between India and Pakistan and claimed by both in its entirety. The two countries have fought two of their three wars over the Himalayan region and their ties have been shaped by conflict, aggressive diplomacy and mutual suspicion, mostly because of their competing claims over Kashmir. The latest flare-up led the two countries to expel each other’s diplomats and nationals, as well as the shuttering of airspace. Dar also denounced last month's suspension of a water-sharing treaty by India. In the town of Akhnoor in Indian-controlled Kashmir, where the Chenab River flows into Pakistan, residents said that water levels were so low, people could walk across the river on Monday. “I have never seen this river dry in my life,” said 55-year-old farmer Bal Krishan, adding that he agreed with “Modi’s decision to suspend the treaty and punish” Pakistan. There was no immediate comment from officials. Also Monday, Pakistani Information Minister Attaullah Tarar led a group of journalists to the mountain village of Bella Noor Shah, near Muzaffarabad — the main city in Pakistan-administered Kashmir — where he said that New Delhi had falsely claimed the presence of a militant training camp. Residents of the village told reporters they had never seen any such camp in the area. Meanwhile, Pakistan’s military said Monday that it test-fired a short-range missile, the second such test launch after a medium-range missile on Saturday. The military said that the Fatah surface-to-surface missile has a range of 120 kilometers (75 miles) and was launched from an undisclosed location. Such missiles are never fired toward India, and usually end up reaching the Arabian Sea or the deserts of southern Balochistan province. Trump threatens sanctions against buyers of Iranian oil after US-Iran nuclear talks are postponed Mushaal Hussein, the wife of a top Kashmiri rebel leader, Mohammed Yasin Malik, accused India of falsely implicating Pakistan in the attack on tourists. She made her remarks after attending a flag-lowering ceremony at the Wagah border. Malik, who is imprisoned in India on terror charges, married her in Pakistan in 2009.

India and Pakistan are stepping up both military and diplomatic efforts in response to a deadly attack in Indian-controlled Kashmir, raising concerns of potential conflict between the nuclear-armed neighbors. India has accused Pakistan of supporting the militants responsible for the April 22 massacre that left 26 people dead, most of them Hindu tourists from India, labeling it a terrorist act. Pakistan has denied any involvement. In retaliation, both nations have expelled each other’s diplomats, closed their borders and airspace, and India has halted a key water-sharing agreement with Pakistan. A Pakistani official recently claimed Islamabad has “credible intelligence” of a possible Indian strike, though no military action has been taken by New Delhi so far. Global Calls for Calm Following international condemnation of the attack, world leaders are now urging both countries to de-escalate. The U.N. Security Council is expected to meet privately on Monday to discuss the growing crisis. Pressure is mounting on both governments — which have previously fought two wars over Kashmir — to avoid further confrontation. The U.S., China, Russia, and Saudi Arabia have all encouraged restraint. Iran has offered to mediate between the two sides. Pakistani Ranger detained by India amid war tensions between countries At the same time, both countries are actively lobbying global support for their respective positions. India has emphasized what it says are cross-border connections to the attackers by briefing diplomats from numerous nations. “This time, India’s diplomatic push is quite comprehensive. The aim is to present its evidence and show that any potential response would have international backing,” said Harsh Pant, a foreign policy expert at New Delhi’s Observer Research Foundation. Pakistan, meanwhile, has offered to cooperate with an international investigation into the attack and has also engaged with foreign diplomats. Islamabad maintains that it will respond with equal or greater force if India launches military action. Border Tensions and Kashmir Crackdown India’s military has reported repeated exchanges of fire along the Line of Control in Kashmir, blaming Pakistan for unprovoked shelling over ten consecutive nights. Pakistan has in turn accused India of violating a ceasefire agreement. Indian security forces have launched a large-scale operation to find those responsible for the April 22 attack. Over 2,000 individuals have been detained for questioning, with some held under anti-terror laws that allow detention without formal charges. Security forces have also demolished at least nine homes belonging to suspected militants seeking independence or unification with Pakistan. This crackdown has sparked fear across Kashmir, reviving painful memories of the region’s long history of insurgency and harsh countermeasures by Indian authorities. “Kashmiris are always the first to suffer when tensions between India and Pakistan rise,” said Praveen Donthi, a senior analyst at the International Crisis Group. “The collective punishment and state violence only deepen the conflict.” Pakistan conducts ballistic missile test amid soaring tensions with India Displays of Military Power Pakistan’s military on Monday conducted a test of a short-range missile, following a medium-range missile launch over the weekend. India’s navy also tested missiles last week. Tensions echo the 2019 confrontation between the two countries, which nearly escalated into a wider conflict before U.S. intervention helped defuse the situation.