Multiple attempted drone attacks on key Indian installations, including the Srinagar airport and Awantipora air base, were successfully intercepted late Friday, according to officials cited by PTI. These incidents follow India’s recent defense response against Pakistani military efforts targeting Indian military bases with drones and missiles.
Drones were reportedly spotted at 26 different sites stretching from Baramulla in the north to Bhuj in the south, along the International Border and the Line of Control (LoC), officials confirmed.
Among the affected areas were Srinagar, Avantipora, Nagrota, Jammu, Ferozepur, Pathankot, Fazilka, Lalgarh Jatta, Jaisalmer, Barmer, Bhuj, Kuarbet, and Lakhi Nala.
Around 9 p.m., a drone was detected near the Srinagar airport, prompting authorities to initiate a blackout to counter the threat. Military forces subsequently shot down the drone. The explosions that followed created panic among nearby residents.
Officials further reported that another drone was neutralized near the Awantipora air base in south Kashmir. Additional drone threats were intercepted in Baramulla and Kupwara districts, where sensitive installations are located.
Despite these efforts, an armed drone did manage to strike a civilian area in Punjab’s Ferozepur, causing serious injuries to members of a local family. The victims received medical treatment, and the area was secured by authorities.
Earlier in the evening, explosions were heard and emergency sirens activated in several parts of Jammu and south Kashmir, which experienced widespread power outages. Defence sources told PTI that drones were also seen in Jammu, Samba, and Pathankot district, and efforts were underway to neutralize them.
In Srinagar, authorities used mosque loudspeakers to advise residents to switch off lights as a safety measure. Drone sightings were also reported in Udhampur and Nagrota in Jammu, as well as parts of Punjab.
These developments come amid heightened tensions between India and Pakistan following India’s precision strikes on terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. The strikes were in retaliation for the April 22 terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam, which claimed the lives of 26 people, most of them tourists.