New Delhi:

Pakistan’s blatant escalation with drone strikes and other munitions, the Indian Armed Forces on Saturday successfully intercepted and shot down a Pakistani missile, Abdali, mid-air over Jaisalmer in Rajasthan. The Indian military has been intercepting multiple aerial threats coming from the neighbouring country in Jaisalmer. Owing to this, the forces had to issue a red alert and blackouts in several border districts on Friday night. 

Pakistan test-fired the Abdali weapon system on May 3 amid rising tensions with India following the heinous terror attack in Pahalgam, which claimed the lives of 26 people, mostly terrorists. Initially, Indian authorities identified five terrorists, including three Pakistani nationals, behind the massacre in Pahalgam.

All you need to know about Abdali missile

The Abdali missile, also known as Hatf-II, is a short-range ballistic missile. According to reports,  this is a surface-to-surface missile with a range of 450 kms.

According to Pakistan, the missile can carry both conventional and nuclear payloads and a warhead of up to 500 kg. The surface-to-surface missile has an inertial guidance system that gives it improved accuracy compared to Hatf-1.

India thwarts Pakistan’s drone attacks

Meanwhile, Indian Army continues to thwart drone strikes and other munitions along the borders. The Indian Defence Forces have also successfully thwarted a series of drone attacks at 26 locations by Pakistan last night, ranging from Baramulla to Bhuj, situated at the International Border and the Line of Control. These include suspected armed drones posing potential threats to civilian and military targets.

Meanwhile, the Border Security Force (BSF) informed that last night, Pakistan opened fire on BSF posts in the Jammu sector from about 9 PM without any provocation. BSF said that it is responding in a commensurate manner, causing widespread damage to posts and assets of Pakistan Rangers along the International Boundary.