Kachchh (Gujarat) [India], May 8 (ANI): A complete blackout has been enforced in the Bhuj area of Kachchh district in Gujarat on Thursday amid escalating tensions across the border with Pakistan.

Escalating its tensions with India, Pakistan targeted Jammu with loitering munitions on Thursday evening and Indian Air Defence guns fired back.

Pakistan fired eight missiles directed at Satwari, Samba, RS Pura and Arnia sectors in Jammu, and all were intercepted and blocked, defence sources said. Blackouts have been enforced in Kishtwar, Akhnoor, Samba and Jammu.

The sources said visuals over Jammu remind one of exactly a Hamas-style attack on Israel, like multiple cheap rockets. Pakistan Army is operating and behaving like a terror organisation, Hamas. Last month, ISI and Hamas met in Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir.

Explosions were heard as Indian air defence intercepted Pakistani drones in Udhampur, Jammu and Kashmir.

Pakistani drones were also intercepted by Indian air defence in Jaisalmer, Rajasthan.

A complete blackout has also been enforced in Bikaner in Rajasthan, and Jalandhar and Amritsar in Punjab.

On early Wednesday, India had responded to the Pahalgam terror attack through Operation Sindoor in which terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan and PoJK was targeted through precision strikes. India also said that any attack on military installations will invite a suitable response.

At a media briefing on Thursday, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said that escalation by Pakistan will be responded to and is being responded to appropriately.

'The original escalation was by Pakistan on the 22nd of April. We are the ones who are responding to that escalation with the action that was taken yesterday morning. And again, I would like to emphasize that the action was restrained; it was directed towards non-civilian, non-military targets; and confined to terrorist camps. And again, as we've been saying since yesterday, any further action by Pakistan, some of which we are seeing today is nothing but escalation by Pakistan now, once again, and will be responded to and is being responded to appropriately,' he said.

Misri also said that India's intention has not been to escalate matters.

'We are only responding to the original escalations, as I said. And our response has been targeted, precise, controlled and measured. No military targets have been selected. Only terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan has been hit,' he said.

Sources said the government informed an all-party meeting on Thursday that over 100 terrorists were killed in India's precision strikes on terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan early on Wednesday.

The Defence Ministry said in a statement on Thursday that on the night of May 7, Pakistan attempted to engage a number of military targets in Northern and Western India including Awantipura, Srinagar, Jammu, Pathankot, Amritsar, Kapurthala, Jalandhar, Ludhiana, Adampur, Bhatinda, Chandigarh, Nal, Phalodi, Uttarlai, and Bhuj, using drones and missiles.

'These were neutralised by the Integrated Counter UAS Grid and Air Defence systems. The debris of these attacks is now being recovered from a number of locations that prove the Pakistani attacks,' the statement said.

It said today morning Indian Armed Forces targeted Air Defence Radars and systems at a number of locations in Pakistan. Indian response has been in the same domain with same intensity as Pakistan. It has been reliably learnt that an Air Defence system at Lahore has been neutralised.

The statement said Pakistan has increased the intensity of its unprovoked firing across the Line of Control using mortars and heavy calibre artillery in areas in Kupwara, Baramulla, Uri, Poonch, Mendhar and Rajouri sectors in Jammu and Kashmir.

'Sixteen innocent lives have been lost, including three women and five children, due to Pakistani firing. Here too, India was compelled to respond to bring Mortar and Artillery fire from Pakistan to a halt. Indian Armed Forces reiterate their commitment to non-escalation, provided it is respected by the Pakistani military,' the statement said. (ANI)