India briefs 5 countries, including US, UK following air strikes on Pakistan

India today (7 May) briefed five countries on the launch of 'Operation Sindoor', following a series of missile strikes targeting terror camps in Pakistan's Punjab province and Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir (PoK) in retaliation for the deadly Pahalgam attack.

The five nations are the United States, the United Kingdom, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Russia, reports The Hindu. 

Besides, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi called on Indian President Droupadi Murmu at Rashtrapati Bhavan and updated her on the objectives and outcomes of the overnight operation, which targeted key strongholds of Jaish-e-Mohammad in Bahawalpur and Lashkar-e-Taiba in Muridke. 

The Ministry of External Affairs said India had "credible leads", including eyewitness accounts identifying the perpetrators and evidence confirming the involvement of Pakistan-based terror groups.

The Indian Embassy in Washington, in a statement shared by the MEA, said, "India's actions have been focused and precise. They were measured, responsible and designed to be non-escalatory in nature. No Pakistani civilian, economic or military targets have been hit. Only known terror camps were targeted."

Leaders of the five countries briefed had already been in close contact with Modi over the past two weeks amid escalating tensions in the region. Meanwhile, India is still expecting a visit from Iran's Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi today (7 May), although his arrival has reportedly been delayed by a few hours.

Earlier in the day, the Indian prime minister chaired a meeting of the Union Cabinet to assess the impact of the operation. He is also scheduled to preside over a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) to evaluate the evolving situation, sources said. 

A resolution acknowledging the overnight military action is likely to be adopted in the cabinet meeting.

The missile strikes were carried out after the Pahalgam terror attack, which killed 26 tourists. In response, the prime minister had given the armed forces full operational freedom to decide the targets, timing and method of the retaliatory action.

Before the cabinet meeting, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and National Security Adviser Ajit Doval briefed the prime minister on the military developments.