500 Pakistani Drones Target India From Ladakh To Kutch; Air Defence Shoots Down Dozens: Report

(Photo: ANI)

India-Pakistan War: The Pakistani missile and drone attack, which was launched targeting India's Jammu region and Rajasthan, including Satwari, Samba, RS Pura, Arnia and Jaisalmer on Thursday night, was met with an extremely strong response by the Indian defence systems, which shot down almost all the drones which could have caused damage to infrastructure.

Defence sources told news agency ANI that around 500 drones were launched towards Indian positions by the Pakistan Army last night, which were sighted at 24 locations from Siachen base camp in Ladakh to the Kutch area in Gujarat.

#WATCH | Around 500 drones were launched towards Indian positions by the Pakistan Army last night, which were sighted at 24 locations from Siachen base camp in Ladakh to Kutch area in Gujarat. Around 50 of these drones were destroyed by air defence guns, while around 20 were… pic.twitter.com/w5Cwaniei5

— ANI (@ANI) May 9, 2025

The agency sources further claimed that around 50 of these drones were destroyed by air defence guns, while around 20 were brought down through soft kills. Most of the drones were unarmed. The drones were fitted with cameras and possibly relaying footage to their ground stations.

Pictures of drone parts recovered after they were shot down by Indian air defence systems last night.

(Source: Defence Sources) pic.twitter.com/QFlrvTTrld

— ANI (@ANI) May 9, 2025

Hours after a Pakistani drone and missile attack, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday convened a high-level meeting in the national capital to review the prevailing border situation and evaluate security arrangements at airports across the country.

In a nearly one-hour meeting that began at 12:30 pm at the Home Minister's residence, Union Home Secretary Govind Mohan, Director Intelligence Bureau Tapan Deka, Director General of the Border Security Force (BSF) Daljit Chawdhary, Director General of the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) RS Bhatti, and Director General of the Bureau of Civil Aviation (BCAS) Rajesh Nirwan were present.

The meeting held today focused on strengthening inter-agency coordination, enhancing surveillance capabilities, and bolstering rapid response strategies to prevent any potential security breaches, particularly in sensitive installations and high-traffic public areas like airports, ANI reported, citing sources.

The meeting was focused on reviewing the current border situation and assessing security arrangements at airports across the country. The discussion comes amid heightened vigilance along sensitive zones and a push to strengthen national security infrastructure.

The officials present in the meeting apprised the Home Minister about the overall security preparedness and current ground situation.

The Home Minister on Thursday night also held discussions with the Director Generals of all border guarding forces and reviewed the current security situation along India's borders. The meeting was also aimed at assessing preparedness and operational readiness in light of recent developments, as Pakistan on Thursday night launched a significant missile and drone attack targeting India's Jammu region and Rajasthan, including Satwari, Samba, RS Pura, Arnia and Jaisalmer.

The Home Minister's fresh meeting with the DGS of BSF, CISF and BCAS was held hours after the border guarding force in a major security operation along the India-Pakistan border thwarted a significant infiltration attempt in the Samba Sector of the Jammu Frontier early Friday and neutralised seven terrorists.

On the intervening night of May 8 and 9, alert BSF troops foiled a bid by a large group of terrorists attempting to cross the border under cover fire from the Pakistan Rangers at the Dhandhar post. The BSF neutralised at least seven terrorists and inflicted significant damage on the Pakistani post using retaliatory firepower, with thermal imagery capturing the destruction.

The incident has heightened security concerns along the western front, prompting a comprehensive review of border management protocols and the readiness of airport security systems amid increasing cross-border threats.

(With agency Inputs)