Pakistan and India fired missiles at each other’s airbases in the latest escalation between the neighbours.
“Operation Bunyan Marsoos” refers to Pakistan’s military response to Indian predawn missile and drone strikes on three Pakistani airbases (Nur Khan, Murid, and Shorkot) and targets in Afghanistan on May 10, 2025. These strikes followed Pakistan’s downing of multiple Indian jets involved in “Operation Sindoor”. Pakistan vowed retaliation, with Islamabad reporting 33 fatalities and parallel cross-border shelling and drone raids, resulting in at least fifty deaths on both sides by May 9
During the wee hours of Saturday, Pakistan finally initiated a military operation named Bunyan-un-Marsoos against India as it launched Fatah-I missiles, targeting multiple Indian military installations in response to an unprovoked attack on its airbases.
Drawn from a verse of the Holy Quran, Bunyan-un-Marsoos means “a wall constructed of molten lead”, symbolising strength, solidarity and impenetrability.
By Abid Hussain
Published On 10 May 202510 May 2025
Islamabad, Pakistan – India and Pakistan fired missiles at each other’s military bases on Saturday morning, the latest escalation in their rapid drift towards an all-out war.
Pakistan accused India of carrying out attacks inside its territory for the fourth consecutive night, launching ballistic missile strikes on at least three air bases. Islamabad said that in response, it launched a major military campaign, “Operation Bunyan Marsoos” (Arabic for “a structure made of lead”) targeting at least six Indian military bases.
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India, in turn, accused Pakistan of being the aggressor. Indian military officials claimed Pakistan had targeted several Indian military bases and that its missiles into Pakistani territory were in response.
Yet, regardless of who hit the other first on May 10, the very fact that India and Pakistan had struck each other’s military bases over such a wide swath of territory, well beyond Kashmir – the disputed region that they each partly control – means that the conflict has now veered into almost unknown territory.
Never have the South Asian rivals attacked each other on this scale outside the four wars they have fought.
Here is what we know so far about India’s attacks, Pakistan’s response, what both countries and global powers like the United States are saying, and the background to this intensifying conflict.
