India’s armed forces delivered a crushing blow to Pakistan’s air defences and military infrastructure on May 10, 2025, forcing Islamabad to seek an urgent ceasefire through U.S. intervention after its retaliatory Operation Bunyan al-Marsoos collapsed within eight hours. With the Indian Navy poised to strike the strategic Karachi Naval Port, Pakistan’s military leadership scrambled to secure a no-fire pact, halting further escalation, according to sources familiar with the matter quoted in media reports.
The conflict, rooted in India’s Operation Sindoor, was launched in response to the April 22, 2025, Pahalgam terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir, which claimed 26 civilian lives. India accused Pakistan of supporting cross-border terrorism. On May 7, the Indian Air Force (IAF) initiated Operation Sindoor, targeting nine terrorist camps in Pakistani-occupied Kashmir and Punjab province with precision strikes using Rafale aircraft armed with SCALP missiles, BrahMos cruise missiles, and Indo-Israeli SkyStriker loitering munitions. Seven of these camps, including high-value targets in Muridke and Bahawalpur, were obliterated with pinpoint accuracy.
Pakistan’s response, codenamed Operation Bunyan al-Marsoos (Arabic for “Unbreakable Wall”), began at 1:00 a.m. on May 10, with Islamabad vowing to target Indian air bases over the next 48 hours. However, the operation unraveled rapidly as India launched four devastating air strikes that same night, crippling Pakistan’s military capabilities.
IAF’s Relentless Assault
The IAF’s strikes on May 10 targeted key Pakistani air bases, including Nur Khan in Chaklala, Jacobabad, and Bholari. Rafale-launched SCALP missiles and SU-30 MKI-launched BrahMos missiles destroyed the northern air command-control network at Nur Khan in the first strike alone, severely hampering Pakistan’s ability to coordinate its air defences. The IAF employed a tandem strategy, using SCALP and BrahMos missiles to ensure no target was missed, according to defence sources quoted in a report by HT.
India’s S-400 air defence system, deployed at Adampur, played a pivotal role, engaging 11 times during Operation Sindoor. In a remarkable feat, it destroyed a Pakistani SAAB-2000 airborne early warning system located 315 kilometers inside Pakistan’s territory.
Indian sources also confirmed the destruction of a C-130J medium-lift transport aircraft, one JF-17 fighter, and two F-16 jets, both in the air and on the ground, further weakening Pakistan’s air force. Additionally, a HARPY kamikaze drone took out a Chinese-made LY-80 air defence system in Lahore, while an Indian missile neutralised Pakistan’s prized HQ-9 system (comparable to Russia’s S-300) in Malir, Karachi.
Pakistan’s Short-Lived Retaliation
Pakistan’s Operation Bunyan al-Marsoos aimed to strike 26 Indian military targets, including air bases in Suratgarh, Sirsa, and Udhampur, as well as BrahMos storage facilities in Beas and Nagrota did not even lasted for a few hours.
Pakistani state media claimed significant damage, including the destruction of India’s S-400 system in Adampur using JF-17 Thunder hypersonic missiles and a cyberattack that disrupted 70 per cent of India’s power grid. However, Indian officials, including Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri and Colonel Sofia Quraishi, dismissed these claims as “malicious misinformation,” releasing time-stamped images showing minimal damage to Indian air bases in Udhampur, Pathankot, Adampur, and Bhuj.
By 9:30 a.m. on May 10, Pakistan’s operation had faltered under the weight of India’s relentless counterstrikes.
Intercepted communications revealed Pakistan’s initial bravado gave way to desperation as its air bases and assets were decimated. Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, Pakistan’s military spokesperson, called India’s actions “blatant acts of aggression” but offered no evidence to support claims of successful retaliatory strikes.
Karachi Naval Port in the Crosshairs
The Indian Navy, deploying 36 warships, including an INS Vikrant-led Carrier Battle Group with seven Kolkata and Visakhapatnam-class destroyers, seven frigates, and six submarines, positioned itself 260 miles off Pakistan’s Makran Coast on May 10, ready to strike the Karachi Naval Port with BrahMos missiles.
Pakistan’s Director General of Military Operations (DGMO) warned of retaliation if India proceeded, but by the afternoon, the same official was requesting a no-fire pact to halt the conflict. India’s military and political leadership remained undeterred by Pakistan’s threats, but the Navy held back from striking the port following the ceasefire request.
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