An urgent call by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio asking Pakistan Army Chief Asim Munir to “get off the accelerator” after the launch of a ballistic missile towards Sirsa, India’s massive operation to hit 10 Pakistani airbases with BrahMos, HAMMER and SCALP missiles in retaliation, and the looming threat of a nuclear war — a rapid chain of events signalling a dangerous escalation on Friday night led to a US-brokered ceasefire between India and Pakistan the day after.
Top sources in the government said India’s retaliatory offensive, approved by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, against Pakistani airbases was an operation “even bigger in scale than Operation Sindoor on May 7″, and Pakistan realised it was exposed to “annihilation” and also faced the prospect of its nuclear facilities being taken.
India’s unprecedented retaliation, at a scale not even seen during earlier wars, came after Pakistan dared to fire a ballistic missile towards India; it was brought down near Sirsa. On the other hand, all of India’s missiles hit their target, including Nur Khan airbase near the Pakistan Army’s General Headquarters in Rawalpindi.
Within 90 minutes, India pounded Nur Khan airbase, Rafiqui airbase in Shorkot, Murid airbase in Punjab, Sukkur airbase in Sindh, Sialkot airbase, Sargodha airbase, Skardu airbase, Bholari airbase near Karachi, Jacobabad airbase, and Pasrur airstrip.
India also struck and took out Chunian radar installation in a swift response. India fired its Brahmos missiles, and HAMMER and SCALP missiles from Rafale fighter jets at these strategic airbases — in its biggest set of attacks.
A New York Times report says alarm bells rang loud in the US after India hit Nur Khan airbase. “The base is a key installation, one of the central transport hubs for Pakistan’s military and home to the air refueling capability that would keep Pakistani fighters aloft. But it is also just a short distance from the headquarters of Pakistan’s Strategic Plans division, which oversees and protects the country’s nuclear arsenal,” says the NYT report.
How These Strikes Crippled Pakistan
The strikes on Nur Khan and Rafiqui airbases were critical as they disrupted the heart of Pakistan’s air logistics and high-level military coordination. Nur Khan base is closest to Islamabad and often used for VIP transport and military logistics. Its neutralisation severed critical links between the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) leadership and its operational units during the conflict, sources say.
Rafiqui, a key fighter base hosting frontline combat squadrons, too, was rendered inoperable. The destruction of its aircraft shelters and runway infrastructure significantly weakened Pakistan’s ability to launch airborne counter-operations. This move effectively removed one of PAF’s sharpest offensive tools.
By targeting Murid air base, India disrupted a vital training and potential missile storage hub. The strike degraded Pakistan’s long-term air force readiness, cutting off a critical node in the pilot training pipeline and eliminating logistical depth for future operations.
The destruction of Sargodha was a strategic masterstroke. One of the most critical bases in Pakistan — home to Combat Commanders School, nuclear delivery platforms, and elite squadrons — its decimation crippled the neighbouring country’s command-and-control structure.
