HQ-9 air defence units of the Pakistan army in Sialkot, Lahore suffer massive damage

Air defence units of the Pakistan army in Sialkot and Lahore suffered heavy damage amid reports of drone attacks in 10 cities across the country on May 8, sources said. Sources said the HQ-9 missile defence system units, developed by China, were hit, effectively rendering the Pakistani army defenceless in Lahore, Sialkot and one more city. Indian drone strikes are in response to Pakistani missile debris found in Amritsar. 

Amid the ongoing tensions between India and Pakistan, missile debris has been found in an Amritsar village, Makhan Windi. This comes as locals said they heard multiple explosions past midnight. Army personnel cordoned off the area where projectile debris has been found in the border area.

"Today morning Indian Armed Forces targeted Air Defence Radars and systems at a number of locations in Pakistan. Indian response has been in the same domain with same intensity as Pakistan. It has been reliably learnt that an Air Defence system at Lahore has been neutralised," the government said in a release. 

"Pakistan has increased the intensity of its unprovoked firing across the Line of Control using Mortars and heavy calibre Artillery in areas in Kupwara, Baramulla, Uri, Poonch, Mendhar and Rajouri sectors in Jammu and Kashmir," it added.

Meanwhile, three explosions were heard in quick succession in Lahore today, prompting residents to rush out of their homes in fear, according to local news reports. The blasts happened in the vicinity of Gulberg, which is one of Lahore's most upscale and sensitive districts. 

Lahore Police said that the explosions occurred within moments of each other. The blasts were so loud that people who were several kilometres away heard its sound and rushed to streets in confusion and fear. 

Emergency response teams, including rescue and firefighting units, have reached the site of the incident. According to officials, investigations were being made to determine the nature and source of the explosions. The authorities have sealed the area and unrelated people have been restricted from entering the area as bomb disposal and intelligence teams start their preliminary assessment, ARY News reported. 

Meanwhile, the Pakistan Airports Authority (PAA) has temporarily suspended flight operations at airports in Karachi, Lahore, and Sialkot, local media outlets reported. According to PAA, the airports in Lahore and Sialkot will remain unavailable for all flights until 12 pm on May 8 (local time). 

India’s Operation Sindoor has delivered a devastating blow not just to terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir (PoK), but also to the credibility of Chinese-made air defence systems deployed across the region. 

The Indian Air Force reportedly used French-origin SCALP cruise missiles, launched from Rafale fighter jets, to strike nine identified terrorist sites. None of these missiles were intercepted. 

The SCALP missile, known for its long range of over 500 km, stealth characteristics, and terrain-hugging flight path, bypassed Pakistan’s HQ-9 and LY-80 (HQ-16) air defence systems, which failed to detect or stop the incoming precision strikes.