As cross-border shelling unfolded following India’s missile strikes inside Pakistani territory, the rising tensions between the nuclear-armed neighbors have drawn international attention – particularly from China and the US.

US President Donald Trump has told earlier that “if I can do anything to help, I will be there” and claimed to “get along very well” with both sides.

Underscoring the wider geopolitical stakes of the tensions, China has tacitly backed its long-time regional ally Pakistan, which has acknowledged deploying Chinese-made fighter jets against India’s increasingly Western-supplied arsenal.

While the global powers are unlikely to become directly involved in the conflict, experts pointed to deepening security ties between the US and India on one side and China and Pakistan on the other as a sign that they are expected to offer various forms of support to their respective partners.

According to senior Indian officials, the US and India maintained “robust” and “strong” lines of communication before and after the strikes with Washington expressing “overwhelming” support for India’s fight against terrorism.

The officials said that India briefed US National Security Adviser and Secretary of State Marco Rubio “at length” about the context and intelligence information behind the strikes just hours after they occurred, stressing that any external mediation or investigation would be futile.

The missile strikes followed the gunpoint killing of 26 people, mainly tourists, in Indian-administered Kashmir on April 22. New Delhi has claimed that it had clear intelligence information that “Pakistan-backed” terror groups were behind the massacre. Islamabad has denied responsibility and called for a transparent and international investigation – a call echoed by Beijing.

During a briefing with foreign diplomats that included China’s ambassador to India Xu Feihong, Indian officials reiterated New Delhi’s right to respond and expressed hope that the international community would use its influence to urge Islamabad to act against groups that target India and its civilians.

However, now India-Pakistan tensions have escalated as Pakistan's missile and drone strikes target airbases and civilians. India foiled the attacks and responded with precision attacks amid rising border tensions.

The Pakistan Army has been observed to be moving its troops towards forward areas. In a press briefing on Saturday morning, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri, Colonel Sophia Qureshi, and Wing Commander Vyomika Singh apprised the nation of all that has been happening along the Western Border.

"The offensive seems to be intended to further escalation of tensions. Indian armed forces remain in a high state of operational readiness, and all hostile actions have been effectively countered and responded proportionately.

Indian armed forces reiterated their commitment to non-escalation, provided the Pakistan side reciprocates."

Pakistan attacked several Punjab airbases with high-speed missiles early on Saturday and even targeted medical facilities and schools. Pakistan has been keeping up a continuous onslaught along the Western Front. Airbases in Udhampur, Pathankot, Bhuj, and Bathinda were also targeted.

"India sustained limited damage to personnel and equipment at Indian Air Force stations at Udhampur, Adampur, Pathankot, and Bhuj," said Wing Commander Vyomika Singh. "But a befitting reply has been given to Pakistani actions," Col Qureshi said.

"Pakistani army is continuously attacking the western borders; it has used drones, long-range weapons, loitering munitions and fighter jets to attack India's military sites... India neutralized many dangers, but Pakistan tried to infiltrate via Air at more than 26 places, and they damaged our equipment and personnel at air force bases in Udhampur, Bhuj, Pathankot, Bathinda," she said.

In response to Pakistani actions, India responded in a measured way, said Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri.

In a dramatic escalation of hostilities, Pakistan launched a wave of overnight drone attacks across multiple Indian border states, targeting both military and civilian areas. The strikes, which began late Friday night and extended into the early hours of Saturday, prompted immediate defensive measures by Indian forces and a high-level review by Pakistan's top nuclear command.

According to India’s Ministry of Defense, a total of 26 sites across Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, Rajasthan, and Gujarat came under aerial assault. Among the targeted locations were key towns like Baramulla, Srinagar, Pathankot, Jaisalmer, and Bhuj—some of which house critical military installations. In many of these areas, air raid sirens pierced the night while local power grids went dark under enforced blackouts, adding to the atmosphere of fear and urgency.

The government also said that Pakistan is peddling lies about Indian military airbases being destroyed and online systems being targeted with cyber-attacks.

The Defence Ministry confirmed that Indian forces successfully intercepted several drones and thwarted attempts to damage key infrastructure, including air bases and airports. However, not all attacks were neutralized. In Punjab’s Ferozepur district, a family sustained injuries when an armed drone hit a civilian neighborhood after sunset. Authorities have since confirmed that the drone targeted a non-military area, intensifying concerns over the civilian toll in the ongoing conflict.

This latest barrage came just a day after India claimed it had successfully foiled an earlier Pakistani drone and missile offensive targeting its military installations. In retaliation, India had launched precision strikes on terror launchpads across the Line of Control, including in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, a move that sharply heightened bilateral tensions.

In the wake of Friday night's assaults, residents in Srinagar reported hearing loud explosions and seeing flashes of light as anti-drone systems kicked into action. In some areas, mosque loudspeakers broadcast urgent appeals for residents to turn off their lights and take cover, echoing wartime measures not seen in decades. Srinagar airport was also reportedly placed under a heightened state of alert amid fears of an airborne threat.

Drone activity and shelling were also reported in Udhampur, Nagrota, and Kupwara, while intense artillery exchanges were documented along the International Border in Jammu’s Suchetgarh, Ramgarh, and Samba sectors

Meanwhile, in Islamabad, Pakistan convened a meeting of its National Command Authority, the apex body responsible for overseeing its nuclear arsenal. The emergency session came in the immediate aftermath of its military operation.

These unfolding events trace back to the deadly April 22 terrorist attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, which claimed the lives of 26 people, mostly tourists. The Indian government has since vowed a zero-tolerance approach to cross-border terrorism, setting the stage for a rapid and forceful response.

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