Following the terrorist attack in Pahalgam on 22 April 2025, which claimed the lives of 25 Indian and one Nepali citizen, the Indian Armed Forces launched Operation Sindoor in the early hours of 07 May 2025. The Indian government stated that the operation targeted terrorist infrastructure at nine locations across Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir, emphasising that no Pakistani military installations were struck. It described the strikes as focused, measured, and non-escalatory. Citing military sources, media reports indicated that at least 80 terrorists were killed during the operation. However, Pakistan stated that at least 26 civilians were killed and 46 others injured in the missile strikes. In response, cross-border shelling by Pakistani forces reportedly led to the deaths of at least 9 civilians and injuries to 38 others in Jammu and Kashmir.
Amidst these developments, several photos and videos are going viral on social media, claiming to show Pakistan’s retaliation attack on India following ‘Operation Sindoor’ conducted on 07 May 2025. Let’s verify the claim made in the post through this article.
Claim: Visuals show Pakistan’s retaliatory attack on India following ‘Operation Sindoor’, conducted on 07 May 2025.
Fact: The viral videos and photos either predate or unrelated to the escalating tensions between India and Pakistan. They have no connection to the ongoing conflict between the two countries following the Pahalgam terrorist attack in April 2025. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
Claim 1
The viral post shares photos claiming that shortly after Indian forces carried out Operation Sindoor, Pakistan shot down one Rafale and one Su-30 fighter jet near Akhnur, and also destroyed an Indian brigade headquarters.
The first viral photo shows an aircraft crashing in a muddy field. Our investigation revealed that this image is from 20 May 2021, when an Indian Air Force MiG-21 crashed in Langeana Khurd village, Moga district, Punjab. The pilot, Abhinav Chaudhary, lost his life in the accident. The aircraft had taken off from Suratgarh, Rajasthan.
The second photo, showing a plane on fire, is from 02 September 2024. According to reports (here and here), a MiG-29 fighter jet of the Indian Air Force crashed in the Nagana police station area of Barmer district, Rajasthan. The crash occurred due to a technical fault, and the aircraft caught fire. The District Collector and SP confirmed the incident.
We also checked the viral video showing fire and shared with the claim that a brigade headquarters was attacked. However, we did not find any evidence to support this claim. Instead, we found a tweet by PIB Fact Check on 07 May 2025, which labelled the claim as fake.
Claim 2
The video claims Pakistan launched a missile attack on India in retaliation for ‘Operation Sindoor’, carried out on 07 May 2025, targeting nine terror sites in Pakistan.
In our investigation, we found that the video clips showing a white plume of smoke followed by a massive fireball and shockwave, sending cars flying, are from the 2020 Beirut explosion (here and here). This was the largest non-nuclear blast in modern history, which occurred on 04 August 2020 at 6:07 PM in Beirut, Lebanon, after approximately 2,750 tons of improperly stored ammonium nitrate exploded in a port warehouse.
Claim 3
The video claims to show the Pakistan Air Force targeting the Srinagar airbase in retaliation for ‘Operation Sindoor’, which was carried out on 07 May 2025.
In our investigation, we found a tweet by PIB Fact Check dated 07 May 2025, which labelled the claim as fake. It stated that several pro-Pakistan handles had shared an old video falsely claiming that the Pakistan Air Force targeted the Srinagar airbase. The tweet clarified that the video is not from India but shows sectarian clashes that occurred in 2024 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan.
Claim 4
The video claims to show an Indian Rafale fighter jet in flames after being shot down by Pakistan near Bahawalpur, with the aircraft burned to ashes and the pilot killed.
Our investigation (here, here, here, and here) found that the video shows a Pakistani Mirage 5 fighter jet that crashed due to a technical malfunction during a routine mission near Ratta Tibba, Vehari, on 15 April 2025. The aircraft had taken off from PAF Base Rafiqui, and both pilots ejected safely.
To sum up, old and unrelated photos and videos are falsely shared as Pakistan’s retaliatory attack on India after Operation Sindoor on 07 May 2025.
