Operation Bunyanun Marsoos: Pakistan says military strikes against India underway

Pakistan's military said it had started retaliating against "Indian aggression" and launched "Operation Bunyanun Marsoos" bombing strikes on the neighbouring country, reports The Independent.

According to the Guardian, Pakistan military spokesperson Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry said India fired six surface-to-air missiles targeting three of Pakistan's most important military bases early on Saturday morning.

Most were intercepted by Pakistani air defences, Chaudhry said. 

The targets included Nur Khan in Rawalpindi, a crucial site close to the capital Islamabad.

The report also added that shortly afterwards, Pakistan officials confirmed they had begun their counter-attack against India, under the name Operation Bunyan Ul Marsoos, an Arabic phrase roughly translating to "wall of lead." 

In response, Pakistani officials said they had targeted airbases and a missile storage facility, including in Indian-administered Kashmir. Explosions were heard near the Pathankot military airfield in Punjab state and the Udhampur airforce base further north. Residents also reported loud explosions in the city of Srinagar, the capital of Kashmir.

It was the latest escalation in a conflict sparked by a militant attack on civilians in Indian-administered Kashmir last month that India blamed on Pakistan.

Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry of the Pakistan Army spoke on state television, where he warned India to "wait for our response".

The government also posted on X: "India must now prepare for Pakistan's response. The Armed Forces of Pakistan are fully prepared to defend the homeland, airspace, and national security."

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif called an urgent meeting of the National Command Authority on Saturday.

Islamabad closed its airspace to all air traffic on Saturday, a Pakistan Airports Authority spokesperson said.