Modi Holds High-Level Security Meeting as Pakistan Launches Third Night of Drone and Missile Attacks

Prime Minister Narendra Modi convened an emergency meeting with top national security leaders on Friday night as Pakistan continued its missile and drone attacks on Indian territory for a third consecutive evening. Modi was joined by External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, and Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri to assess the rapidly escalating situation along the western border.

Earlier in the day, the Prime Minister also met with the chiefs of the Army, Navy, and Air Force to discuss India’s calibrated and strategic response to the latest round of aggression. According to government sources, swarms of Pakistani drones were detected over Jammu and Kashmir, Rajasthan, and Punjab, triggering air defense engagements at multiple locations.

Among the affected areas were Jammu and Samba in J&K, Pathankot and Ferozepur in Punjab, and Jaisalmer in Rajasthan. Explosions were also reported in Barmer and Pokhran, the latter being the historic site of India’s nuclear tests. In Jammu, power outages followed the blasts, while residents reported intermittent sounds of heavy artillery fire. Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah confirmed the ongoing disturbance through a social media post.

Defence officials said India’s advanced air defense systems, including the Russian S-400 and domestically built Akash missiles, successfully intercepted many of the incoming threats. The government noted that Thursday night saw a particularly intense attack, with Pakistan launching 300 to 400 drones and missiles, including Turkish-made Asisguard SONGAR drones, targeting 36 cities across three Indian states.

India responded with a full-scale interception effort, deploying the integrated Counter-Unmanned Aerial System (C-UAS) and missile defenses to protect critical infrastructure and civilian zones. This latest exchange comes just days after India’s Operation Sindoor, a precision strike on nine terror camps located in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, including a key Lashkar-e-Taiba base in Muridke.

The Resistance Front, believed to be a Lashkar proxy, had claimed responsibility for the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack that left 26 people dead. India has presented what it describes as clear evidence linking Pakistan’s deep state to the attack, which Islamabad denies. However, Indian officials continue to assert direct connections between the Pakistani military and terrorist networks operating in the region.