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 nine civilians and injuries to 38 others in Jammu and Kashmir. Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri, along with Col. Sofiya Qureshi and Wing Commander Vyomika Singh, addressed the media on 07 May 2025 to brief on Operation Sindoor. During the briefing, they released visuals showing the Indian Armed Forces striking the targeted sites.
In this context, several videos are being shared on social media claiming to show India’s attack on Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir. Let’s verify each of these claims through this article.
Claim: Visuals of the Indian armed forces attacking Pakistan during Operation Sindoor on 07 May 2025.
Fact: Although the Indian armed forces targeted terrorist infrastructure at nine locations across Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir on 07 May 2025, these viral visuals in circulation are either outdated or unrelated to Operation Sindoor. Hence these posts are Misleading.
Update (08 May 2025):
Video 6:
A video (here, here) showing a missile striking a building is being circulated with the claim that it depicts an Indian attack on Pakistan.
A reverse image search of keyframes from the viral video revealed that identical visuals were shared by the Palestinian media outlet ‘Quds News Network’ on X (formerly Twitter) on 11 August 2011. According to the accompanying description, the footage shows a massive Israeli airstrike targeting a residential building in Gaza City. Although we could not independently verify the video’s details, we can confirm that it is unrelated to Operation Sindoor, as it significantly predates the operation.
Video 7:
A video showing a missile striking a building (bunker) is being circulated with the claim that it depicts an Indian attack on Pakistan.
A reverse image search of the keyframes extracted from the viral video led us to the same video uploaded on the official YouTube channel of the media outlet ‘NDTV’ on 08 May 2017. According to the video’s description, the footage shows an anti-tank guided missile fired by the Indian Army destroying a Pakistani bunker along the Line of Control in 2017. Although we could not independently verify the details of the video, the available information clearly indicates that it is unrelated to Operation Sindoor.
Video 8:
A video (here, here, and here) showing a fighter jet pilot lying on the ground in distress, surrounded by people, is being circulated with the claim that the Indian Defence Forces shot down two Pakistani fighter jets.
A reverse image search of the keyframes extracted from the viral video led us to the same footage uploaded on YouTube on 15 April 2025. According to the video’s description, it relates to a Pakistan Air Force plane crash. Further investigation revealed that the video is linked to an incident involving a Pakistani Mirage 5 fighter jet, which crashed due to a technical malfunction during a routine mission near Ratta Tibba, Vehari, on 15 April 2025. Reports state that the aircraft had taken off from PAF Base Rafiqui and that both pilots ejected safely (here, here, here, and here). The available information clearly indicates that it is unrelated to Operation Sindoor.
Published (07 May 2025):
Video 1:
A video (here, here, here & here) showing people running amidst multiple explosions is being shared with the claim that it depicts India’s attack on Pakistan.
A reverse image search of the keyframes extracted from the viral video led us to the original video uploaded by journalist Baker Atyani on 09 November 2023. The description states that the video shows an Israeli attack on the Indonesian Hospital in North Gaza, where several people were killed and injured. Further searches led us to news reports by Al Jazeera and The Sun, featuring the same video. According to these reports, the area surrounding the Indonesian hospital in North Gaza was attacked by Israeli fighter jets on 09 November 2023.
Video 2:
A video (here, here, here & here) showing multiple missile strikes is being shared with the claim that it depicts India’s attack on Pakistan.
A reverse image search of the viral video led us to the same video uploaded on the YouTube channel of DD India on 2 October 2024. According to the description, the visuals show Iranian missiles targeting the Nevatim Airbase in the Negev Desert, Israel. Media reports about this incident can be found here, here, and here.
Video 3:
A video (here, here, here & here) showing multiple explosions is being shared with the claim that it depicts India’s attack on Pakistan.
In our investigation, we found that the same video (here & here) has been available online since at least October 2023, with claims that it shows Israel’s attack on Gaza. Although we could not independently verify its authenticity, the video predates Operation Sindoor and is unrelated to it.
Video 4:
A video (here, here, here & here) is being shared claiming to show Indian defence system attacking Pakistani fighter jets.
Our investigation found that the same video (here & here) has been available online since at least 30 March 2025. A closer analysis of the video shows that the aircraft’s cannon fire appears and disappears abruptly, indicating that the footage is not authentic. Similar videos (here and here) were shared online, stating that the footage is from a video game called ARMA 3.
Video 5:
A video (here, here, & here) claimed to show India shooting down Pakistani fighter jets.
Our investigation found that the video is from a video game simulation and does not depict a real incident. It was uploaded on 19 April 2025 to the Facebook gaming channel ‘Coffin Gaming,’ titled ‘S-401 Air Defense Targeted FPV Drone! Ep 115‘. Similar gaming videos have been regularly shared on this channel in the past.
To sum it up, old and unrelated videos are falsely linked to Operation Sindoor, conducted by the Indian armed forces on 07 May 2025.
