‘First to lie tactic’: War expert on report that satellite images show no damage to India after Pakistan attack
While John Spencer did not name Pakistan in his post, he referred to the New York Times article that said India had a “clear edge” in its targeting, and while Pakistan claimed similar feats too, there was no satellite imagery to support its claims.
- May 15, 2025,
- Updated May 15, 2025 1:39 PM IST
Urban warfare expert and Chair of Urban Warfare Studies at the Modern War Institute John Spencer, commenting on a recent report that stated satellite images showed no damage to India after Pakistani drones and missile attack, said that certain governments adopt a ‘first to lie’ tactic. They resort to pushing misinformation and supporting terrorism, he said.
While Spencer did not name Pakistan in his post, he referred to the New York Times article that said India had a “clear edge” in its targeting, and while Pakistan claimed similar feats too, there was no satellite imagery to support its claims.
“Supporting terrorism and pushing misinformation seems to be a tactic of many governments. It used to be "first to the truth," now it seems to be "first to lie." Satellite imagery comes in handy,” he said, in reference to the article.
Spencer quoted a user on X, who shared screenshots of the article, and highlighted the parts that called out Pakistani misinformation.
WHAT THE NYT ARTICLE SAID
The New York Times said the India-Pakistan conflict was the most “expansive fighting” in around 50 years between the two nuclear-armed countries. It highlighted that the damage was contained, and appeared to be mostly “inflicted by India on Pakistani facilities”.
The report stated that India had a clear edge in its targeting of military facilities and other airfields. It drew up high-resolution satellite imagery from before and after the strikes to show the clear damage suffered by the Pakistani sides.
It gave examples of Bholari air base, which is less than 100 km from Karachi, where the visuals show damage to its hangar. The report also showed Nur Khan air base, which was a short distance away from the unit that oversees and protects Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal that was struck by India.
The report also spoke of the Rahim Yar Khan air base, where the runway was not operational, as per Pakistan. The Sargodha air base in Pakistan’s Punjab province was hit by India’s precision weapons to strike two sections of the runway.
Pakistan said two dozen Indian military installations and bases were targeted by its military. Satellite images of the sites do not clearly show the damage, it said. While Pakistan claimed to have “destroyed” India’s Udhampur air base, a May 12 image does not show any damage, it said.
Urban warfare expert and Chair of Urban Warfare Studies at the Modern War Institute John Spencer, commenting on a recent report that stated satellite images showed no damage to India after Pakistani drones and missile attack, said that certain governments adopt a ‘first to lie’ tactic. They resort to pushing misinformation and supporting terrorism, he said.
While Spencer did not name Pakistan in his post, he referred to the New York Times article that said India had a “clear edge” in its targeting, and while Pakistan claimed similar feats too, there was no satellite imagery to support its claims.
“Supporting terrorism and pushing misinformation seems to be a tactic of many governments. It used to be "first to the truth," now it seems to be "first to lie." Satellite imagery comes in handy,” he said, in reference to the article.
Spencer quoted a user on X, who shared screenshots of the article, and highlighted the parts that called out Pakistani misinformation.
WHAT THE NYT ARTICLE SAID
The New York Times said the India-Pakistan conflict was the most “expansive fighting” in around 50 years between the two nuclear-armed countries. It highlighted that the damage was contained, and appeared to be mostly “inflicted by India on Pakistani facilities”.
The report stated that India had a clear edge in its targeting of military facilities and other airfields. It drew up high-resolution satellite imagery from before and after the strikes to show the clear damage suffered by the Pakistani sides.
It gave examples of Bholari air base, which is less than 100 km from Karachi, where the visuals show damage to its hangar. The report also showed Nur Khan air base, which was a short distance away from the unit that oversees and protects Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal that was struck by India.
The report also spoke of the Rahim Yar Khan air base, where the runway was not operational, as per Pakistan. The Sargodha air base in Pakistan’s Punjab province was hit by India’s precision weapons to strike two sections of the runway.
Pakistan said two dozen Indian military installations and bases were targeted by its military. Satellite images of the sites do not clearly show the damage, it said. While Pakistan claimed to have “destroyed” India’s Udhampur air base, a May 12 image does not show any damage, it said.