India fires missiles on Pakistan. Islamabad calls it an 'act of war'

ISLAMABAD (AP) — Pakistan said Wednesday it will avenge those killed by India's missile strikes that New Delhi called retaliation for last month’s massacre of Indian tourists in India-controlled Kashmir. Pakistan called the strikes an act of war and claimed it downed several Indian fighter jets.

The missiles killed 31 people, including women and children, in Pakistan-administered Kashmir and the country’s Punjab province, Pakistan's military said. The strikes targeted at least nine sites “where terrorist attacks against India have been planned,” India’s Defense Ministry said. Two mosques were hit.

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said his country would avenge the dead but gave no details, fanning fears of all-out conflict between the nuclear-armed rivals. Already, it’s their worst confrontation since 2019, when they came close to war.

A heavy exchange of fire continued to follow the missile strikes, and officials in each country confirmed people killed. Sharif commended the armed forces for shooting down five Indian jets, which he said were hit after they fired their missiles but while still in Indian airspace.

There was no comment from India, but three planes fell onto villages in India-controlled territory, according to police and residents.

Tensions have soared between the neighbors since the April attack in which gunmen killed 26 people, mostly Indian tourists. Some survivors told Indian media that gunmen in some cases singled out Hindu men and shot them at close range.

India accuses Pakistan of being behind the attack, which was claimed by a militant group calling itself Kashmir Resistance. India has said the group is linked to Lashkar-e-Taiba, a disbanded Pakistani militant group that New Delhi long accused of being backed by Pakistan.

Islamabad denies involvement.

India and Pakistan have fought two of their three wars over the Himalayan region of Kashmir, which is split between them and claimed by both in its entirety.

In the wake of the massacre, the rivals have expelled each other’s diplomats and nationals, closed their borders and shuttered airspace. India has also suspended a critical water-sharing treaty with Pakistan.

“Pakistan has every right to give a robust response to this act of war imposed by India, and a strong response is indeed being given,” the prime minister said, and later accused India of acting out of arrogance.

The country's National Security Committee said Pakistan reserves the right to respond “in self-defense, at a time, place and manner of its choosing.”

The statement said the strikes were carried out “on the false pretext of the presence of imaginary terrorist camps” and said they killed civilians. The prime minister said he had attended the funeral of a 7-year-old boy.

South Asia analyst Michael Kugelman said the strikes were some of the highest-intensity ones from India on its rival in years and that Pakistan’s response would “surely pack a punch as well.”

“These are two strong militaries that, even with nuclear weapons as a deterrent, are not afraid to deploy sizeable levels of conventional military force against each other,” Kugelman said. “The escalation risks are real."

In 2019, the countries came close to war after a Kashmiri insurgent rammed an explosive-laden car into a bus carrying Indian soldiers, killing 40. India responded with airstrikes.

U.S. President Donald Trump called the escalating conflict “so terrible” and urged both sides to stop the violence.

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for maximum restraint because the world cannot “afford a military confrontation” between India and Pakistan, according to spokesperson Stephane Dujarric.

Neighboring China also called for calm. Beijing is the largest investor in Pakistan by far and has multiple border disputes with India, including one in the northeastern part of the Kashmir region.

Several Indian states held civil defense drills Wednesday to train civilians and security personnel to respond in case of attack. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi postponed his upcoming trip to Norway, Croatia and the Netherlands.

The missile strikes hit six locations and the dead included women and children, said Pakistan’s military spokesperson, Lt. Gen. Ahmed Sharif.

Officials said another 57 people were injured, and five more people were killed in Pakistan during exchanges of fire later in the day along the Line of Control, which divides Kashmir between India and Pakistan.

Sharif late Wednesday said the exchanges of fire continued.

In Muzaffarabad, the main city of Pakistan-controlled Kashmir, resident Abdul Sammad said he heard several explosions as blasts ripped through houses. He saw people running in panic, and authorities immediately cut power to the area.

“We were afraid the next missile might hit our house,” said Mohammad Ashraf, another resident.

Indian jets damaged infrastructure at a dam in Pakistan-administered Kashmir, according to Sharif, the military spokesman, calling it a violation of international norms.

The strikes also hit close to at least two sites previously tied to militant groups that have since been banned, according to Pakistan.

One hit Subhan Mosque in Punjab’s Bahawalpur city, killing 13 people, according to Zohaib Ahmed, a doctor at a nearby hospital.

The mosque is near a seminary that was once the central office of Jaish-e-Mohammed, a militant group outlawed in 2002. Officials say the group has had no operational presence at the site since then.

Another missile hit a mosque in Muridke in Punjab, damaging it. A building located nearby served as the headquarters of Lashkar-e-Taiba until 2013, when Pakistan banned the militant group and arrested its founder.

India’s Defense Ministry called the strikes “focused, measured and non-escalatory in nature," adding that “no Pakistan military facilities have been targeted.”

Indian politicians from various political parties praised the operation, which was named “Sindoor,” a Hindi word for the vermilion powder worn by married Hindu women on their foreheads and hair. It was a reference to the women whose husbands were killed in front of them in the Kashmir attack.

Indian police and medics said 12 civilians were killed and at least 40 wounded by Pakistani shelling in Poonch district near the highly militarized de facto border. At least 10 civilians were also injured in Kashmir’s Uri sector, police said.

Shortly after India’s strikes, aircraft fell in three villages: two in India-controlled Kashmir, a third in India's own Punjab state.

Debris from one plane was scattered across one village, including in a school and a mosque compound, according to police and residents.

“There was a huge fire in the sky. Then we heard several blasts also,” said Mohammed Yousuf Dar, a resident of Wuyan village in India-controlled Kashmir.

Another aircraft fell in an open field in Bhardha Kalan village. Resident Sachin Kumar said he heard massive blasts and saw a huge ball of fire. He said he and several others rushed to the scene, where they saw Indian soldiers carry away the pilots.

A third aircraft crashed in a field in Punjab, a police officer told The Associated Press, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.

This story has been updated to correct that all three planes did not fall in India-controlled Kashmir. Two fell in India-controlled Kashmir, while a third fell in India's Punjab state.

Saaliq and Roy reported from New Delhi, and Hussain reported from Srinagar, India. Associated Press writers Ishfaq Hussian in Muzaffarabad, Pakistan; Babar Dogar in Lahore, Pakistan; Asim Tanveer in Multan, Pakistan; Huizhong Wu in Bangkok and Seung Min Kim in Washington contributed to this story.

National Cadet Corps members participate during a mock drill to train civilians and security personnel to respond in case of attack, in Guwahati, India, Wednesday, May 7, 2025 amid rising fears of wider conflict following India's strikes in Pakistan. (AP Photo/Anupam Nath)

A girl who lives in a village near the Line of Control between India and Pakistan, and was wounded during shelling by Pakistan is treated at a hospital in Uri, Indian controlled Kashmir, Wednesday, May 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Nasir Kachroo)

People are escorted to a safe place during a security mock drill at a mall in Ahmedabad, India, Wednesday, May 7, 2025, amid rising fears of wider conflict following India's strikes in Pakistan. (AP Photo/Ajit Solanki)

National Disaster Response Force team members carry out a mock drill in a market to train civilians and security personnel to respond in case of attack, in New Delhi, India, Wednesday, May 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)

Fire brigade workers and paramedics participates in a security mock drill at a mall in Ahmedabad, India, Wednesday, May 7, 2025, amid rising fears of wider conflict following India's strikes in Pakistan. (AP Photo/Ajit Solanki)

Civil defense members carry out a mock drill at a metro station to train civilians and security personnel to respond in case of attack, in New Delhi, India, Wednesday, May 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)

Volunteers carry a body after recovering it from the rubble of a mosque building damaged by a suspected Indian missile attack near Muzaffarabad, the capital of Pakistan controlled Kashmir, on Wednesday, May 7, 2025. (AP Photo/M.D. Mughal)

Debris of an aircraft lie in the compound of a mosque at Pampore in Pulwama district of Indian controlled Kashmir, Wednesday, May 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Dar Yasin)

People read morning newspapers leading with the story of India firing missiles into Pakistani territory, in Karachi, Pakistan, Wednesday, May 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Fareed Khan)

A woman looks at a part of an aircraft which landed in the compound of a mosque at Pampore in Pulwama district of Indian controlled Kashmir, Wednesday, May 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Dar Yasin)

Protesters burn an Indian flag during a demonstration condemning Indian missile strikes, in Hyderabad, Pakistan, Wednesday, May 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Pervez Masih)

Ambulances leave from a complex near the site of a suspected Indian missile attack, in Muridke, a town in Pakistan's Punjab province, Wednesday, May 7, 2025. (AP Photo/K.M. Chaudary)

Indian army officer Colonel Sofiya Qureshi addresses a press conference after India struck multiple sites inside Pakistani controlled territory with missiles under Operation Sindoor, in New Delhi, India, Wednesday, May 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)

Local residents stand outside a mosque of an Islamic seminary partially damaged by a suspected Indian missile attack, outskirts of Bahawalpur, Pakistan, Wednesday, May 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Asim Tanveer)

Fire fighters douse smoke coming out from the debris of an aircraft near Akhnoor on the outskirts of Jammu, India, Wednesday, May 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Channi Anand)

Protesters chant slogans during a demonstration to condemn Indian missile strikes, in Hyderabad, Pakistan, Wednesday, May 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Pervez Masih)

Indian Air Force soldiers arrive at Pampore in Pulwama district of Indian controlled Kashmir, Wednesday, May 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Dar Yasin)

Rescue workers recover a body from a damaged building at the site of a suspected Indian missile attack, in Muridke, a town in Pakistan's Punjab province, Wednesday, May 7, 2025. (AP Photo/K.M. Chaudary)

Debris of an aircraft lie in the compound of a mosque at Pampore in Pulwama district of Indian controlled Kashmir, Wednesday, May 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Dar Yasin)

Army soldiers stand guard at a mosque building damaged by a suspected Indian missile attack near Muzaffarabad, the capital of Pakistan controlled Kashmir, on Wednesday, May 7, 2025. (AP Photo/M.D. Mughal)

Rescue workers and an ambulance arrive at the site of a suspected Indian missile attack, in Muridke, a town in Pakistan's Punjab province, Wednesday, May 7, 2025. (AP Photo/K.M. Chaudary)

Rescue workers enter a building near the site of a suspected Indian missile attack, in Muridke, a town in Pakistan's Punjab province, Wednesday, May 7, 2025. (AP Photo/K.M. Chaudary)

EDS NOTE: GRAPHIC CONTENT - In this photo released by the Inter Services Public Relations, a woman injured in a suspected Indian missile attack, receives treatment at a hospital in Bahawalpur, Pakistan, May 7, 2025. (Inter Services Public Relations via AP)

Local residents examine a building damaged from a suspected Indian missile attack near Muzaffarabad, the capital of Pakistan controlled Kashmir, in Wednesday, May 7, 2025. (AP Photo/M.D. Mughal)

Security force officials stand outside a damaged building at a site of a suspected Indian missile attack near Muzaffarabad, the capital of Pakistan controlled Kashmir, in Wednesday, May 7, 2025. (AP Photo/M.D. Mughal)

Indian students walk home after attending school near international border India Pakistan at Jora farm village, in Ranbir Singh Pura about 35 kilometers (22 miles) from Jammu, India, Tuesday, May 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Channi Anand)

Indian children walk on bunker near India - Pakistan International border at in Jora farm village, in Ranbir Singh Pura about 35 kilometers (22 miles) from Jammu, India, Tuesday, May 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Channi Anand)

Indian child walk on bunker near India - Pakistan International border at in Jora farm village, in Ranbir Singh Pura about 35 kilometers (22 miles) from Jammu, India, Tuesday, May 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Channi Anand)

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The head of Iran’s judiciary signaled Wednesday there would be fast trials and executions ahead for those detained in nationwide protests despite a warning from U.S. President Donald Trump.

The comments from Iran’s judiciary chief Gholamhossein Mohseni-Ejei come as activists had warned hangings of those detained could come soon. Already, a bloody security force crackdown on the demonstrations has killed at least 2,571, the U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency reported. That figure dwarfs the death toll from any other round of protest or unrest in Iran in decades and recalls the chaos surrounding the country’s 1979 Islamic Revolution.

Trump repeatedly has warned that the United States may take military action over the killing of peaceful protesters, just months after it bombed Iranian nuclear sites during a 12-day war launched by Israel against the Islamic Republic in June.

Meanwhile Wednesday, Iran held a mass funeral of some 100 security force members killed in the demonstrations after authorities earlier said it would be 300. Tens of thousands of mourners attended, holding Iranian flags and photos of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The caskets, covered in Iranian flags, stood stacked at least three high. Red and white roses and framed photographs of people who were killed covered them.

People elsewhere remained fearful in the streets. Plainclothes security forces still milled around some neighborhoods, though anti-riot police and members of the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard's all-volunteer Basij force appeared to have been sent back to their barracks.

“We are very frightened because of these sounds (of gunfire) and protests,” said one mother of two children shopping for fruits and vegetables Wednesday, who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals. “We have heard many are killed and many are injured. Now peace has been restored but schools are closed and I’m scared to send my children to school again.”

Ahmadreza Tavakoli, 36, told The Associated Press he witnessed one demonstration in Tehran and was shocked by the use of firearms by authorities.

“People were out to express themselves and protest, but quickly it turned into a war zone,” Tavakoli said. “The people do not have guns. Only the security forces have guns.”

Mohseni-Ejei made the comment in a video shared by Iranian state television online.

“If we want to do a job, we should do it now. If we want to do something, we have to do it quickly,” he said. “If it becomes late, two months, three months later, it doesn’t have the same effect. If we want to do something, we have to do that fast.”

His comments stand as a direct challenge to Trump, who warned Iran about executions an interview with CBS aired Tuesday.

“We will take very strong action,” Trump said. “If they do such a thing, we will take very strong action.”

“We don’t want to see what’s happening in Iran happen. And you know, if they want to have protests, that’s one thing, when they start killing thousands of people, and now you’re telling me about hanging — we’ll see how that works out for them. It’s not going to work out good.”

One Arab Gulf diplomat told the AP that major Mideast governments had been discouraging the Trump administration from launching a war now with Iran, fearing “unprecedented consequences” for the region that could explode into a “full-blown war.” The diplomat spoke on condition of anonymity because he wasn't authorized to speak to journalists.

Meanwhile, activists said Wednesday that Starlink was offering free service in Iran. The satellite internet service has been key in getting around an internet shutdown launched by the theocracy on Jan. 8. Iran began allowing people to call out internationally on Tuesday via their mobile phones, but calls from people outside the country into Iran remain blocked.

“We can confirm that the free subscription for Starlink terminals is fully functional,” said Mehdi Yahyanejad, a Los Angeles-based activist who has helped get the units into Iran. “We tested it using a newly activated Starlink terminal inside Iran.”

Starlink itself did not immediately acknowledge the decision.

Security service personnel also apparently were searching for Starlink dishes, as people in northern Tehran reported authorities raiding apartment buildings with satellite dishes. While satellite television dishes are illegal, many in the capital have them in homes, and officials broadly had given up on enforcing the law in recent years.

The Human Rights Activists News Agency said 2,403 of the dead were protesters and 147 were government-affiliated. Twelve children were killed, along with nine civilians it said were not taking part in protests. More than 18,100 people have been detained, the group said.

Gauging the demonstrations from abroad has grown more difficult, and the AP has been unable to independently assess the toll given the communications being disrupted in the country.

Associated Press writers Melanie Lidman in Jerusalem and Samy Magdy in Cairo contributed to this report.

FILE - This frame grab from footage circulating on social media shows protesters dancing and cheering around a bonfire as they take to the streets despite an intensifying crackdown as the Islamic Republic remains cut off from the rest of the world, in Tehran, Iran, Jan. 9, 2026. (UGC via AP, File)

FILE - In this photo released by an official website of the office of the Iranian supreme leader, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei speaks in a ceremony to mark the Shiite holiday of Eid al-Ghadir, in Tehran, Iran, Tuesday, June 25, 2024. (Office of the Iranian Supreme Leader via AP, File)