A French intelligence official quoted by CNN confirmed that Pakistan downed a Rafale fighter jet operated by the Indian Air Force.
The Pakistani Defense Ministry claims that five Indian Air Force aircraft: three Rafales, a MiG-29, a Sukhoi-series jet, and a drone, were downed in an overnight attack near the India-Pakistan border, carried out in retaliation for India’s launch of missile strikes on six targets inside Pakistan.
India has not yet confirmed the reported losses. However, the Associated Press reported that two aircraft crashed into villages in Indian-administered Kashmir.
French authorities are now investigating whether the two remaining Rafales were also destroyed. Photographs from the crash sites appear to show debris marked with French manufacturer labels, though analysis is still underway.
Debris of Indian Air Force Rafale jets, which were shot down by the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) on the night of May 7, 2025. pic.twitter.com/BfDkVGxCnb
— Eden 🇵🇰 (@eden2001pk) May 7, 2025
More visuals from Indian airforce Rafale that was drowned in the village of Akalian Kalan, Punjab. 20 km from indian base at Bathinda, home to Rafale squadrons.
Ambulances for two pilots and one civilian killed by the debris. Firetrucks for the aircraft. #PakistanZindabad pic.twitter.com/7TiEwkeaVb
— Asfandyar Bhittani🇵🇰 (@AsfandBhittani) May 7, 2025
The fighting between India and Pakistan came two weeks after 26 Indian tourists were killed in a terrorist attack in Kashmir. India blames Pakistan for the attack but Pakistan denies any involvement.
As of Wednesday, the death toll in Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir has risen to 31, with 57 others injured, according to a Pakistani military official.
Meanwhile, overnight shelling by Pakistani forces on the Indian side of the Line of Control in Kashmir killed 12 civilians and injured 57, according to an Indian defense source.
On both sides of the border, civilians have been forced to flee their homes. Authorities in Indian-administered Kashmir ordered the evacuation of residents from areas deemed dangerous, while those in Pakistan-administered Kashmir reported being forced to seek shelter following missile strikes by India.
