India said on Thursday it had “neutralized” the attacks on military targets in the north and west of Pakistan, bringing nuclear-weapon neighbors closer to war.
"Pakistan is trying to participate in many military objectives in northern and western India," the Indian Ministry of Defense said in a statement. "These are neutralized."
The Ministry of Defense also said that Indian forces “targeted air defense radars and systems at many locations in Pakistan” and defeated the air defense system in Pakistan’s second largest city, Lahore.
Earlier on Thursday, Pakistan Armed Forces spokesman Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry said the country's air defense shot down in 25 Indian drones near several cities, killing a civilian and injuring four Pakistani soldiers.
He vowed that New Delhi would "pay a high price" for the barrage, which he called "another blatant military aggression against Pakistan."
India and Pakistan are facing the worst crisis since India launched air strikes on neighbors on Wednesday in 1999 to retaliate, with aggressive attacks on tourists who managed Kashmir last month.
New Delhi linked the attack that killed 26 people to the attack, which Islamabad denied any connection.
Chaudhry said Israel-made drones are located near at least nine Pakistani cities, including the coastal metropolis of Karachi, with 20MN residents, and the Rawalpindi garrison, the home of the Army headquarters. "This is a serious provocation," he said.
The two countries said debris from the attacks were recovering.
"The attack on the city by military drones has never happened," said Christopher Clary, a professor at the University of Albany in New York. "It's a very serious charge (Pakistan), and it's a sign... showing that the old rules have been abandoned."
"The new rules have not been written yet, so we have been on a dangerous period," Clary said.
The attack killed 32 people and injured 61 people in the damages in Pakistan this week. India said Pakistan's military "added" the de facto border of Kashmir, with both countries claiming and controlling a portion of it killing 16 civilians, including women and children.
Major international powers, including the United States and the European Union, have urged India and Pakistan to intensify tensions to avoid a conflict coming to a nuclear deadlock. U.S. President Donald Trump also proposed to mediate between the two.
India's armed forces said on Thursday that they "have a commitment to non-propaganda as long as the Pakistani army respects it". It added: “India’s response is in the same field as Pakistan’s.”
Later on Wednesday, Pakistan's Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar told parliament that Chinese jets were being used to shoot down five Indian fighters along the border, including French-made Rafale aircraft, without providing evidence.
The Indian government has not formally accused the Pakistani aircraft of being destroyed and warned of misinformation allegedly from Islamabad.
Officials said Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a high-level meeting with government officials on Thursday to “review based on the latest developments in relevant national security”, including strengthening civil defense mechanisms and ensuring the security of critical infrastructure.