Pakistan shot down at least 25 Israeli-made Harop drones sent by India across the international border in a blatant act of escalation by Delhi against its nuclear armed-rival and neighbor after taking down French-made Rafale aircraft of the Indian air force, security sources said.

The development came shortly after Pakistan military spokesperson Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry announced that the Pakistan armed forces had shot down over 12 Indian drones. ISPR later said a total of 25 drones were taken down.

India had not acknowledged responsibility for sending Harop drones classified as loitering munitions or suicide drones into Pakistani territory, several hours after the attacks began late Wednesday night.

The use of such drones is considered controversial and has been criticized as potentially criminal, as they can hover over targets and may strike indiscriminately, including civilian areas.

India sent a large number of Israeli-made Harop across the international border, after its air force lost at least five fighter jets to Pakistan, including three Rafale and Delhi was left with red face.

A high-ranking French official confirmed to CNN on Wednesday that India had lost at least one Rafale to Pakistan.

Pakistan employs hard kill and soft kill responses

Security sources say a combination of technical countermeasures (soft kill) and direct strikes (hard kill) was used to bring down over 25 drones.

Debris from the Israeli-made Harop drones has been recovered from various parts of Pakistan.

Sources said the drone incursion reflects India’s desperation following its failed aggression on May 6 and 7, which resulted in the loss of advanced fighter aircraft, drones, military posts, and personnel.

Pakistan also claimed that India continues to sustain heavy losses along the Line of Control (LoC).

The Pakistani armed forces reiterated their resolve to respond with full force to any aggression.

“Pakistan’s military is giving a fitting response to the enemy and crushing all hostile designs,” a defense source stated.

What is a loitering munition, and what is Harop

A loitering munition, also known as a suicide drone, kamikaze drone, or exploding drone, is a weapon with a warhead that is typically designed to loiter until a target is located, then crash into it.

The use of loitering munitions has raised moral, ethical, and international humanitarian law concerns because a human being is not involved in the decision to attack and potentially kill humans.

Pakistan also uses and produces nearly half a dozen loitering munitions, including E-RAD, Rover LM, Xpear MX-150, and NASTP Dark Angel Series.

Israeli-made Harop has a range of 1000 kilometers, and it can travel at a speed of 190 kilometers per hour.

While operation drones and especially loitering munitions are quite cheap, countermeasures have always proven expensive and difficult, as seen in the Ukraine conflict, where both Russian and Ukrainian forces have entered into a war of attrition.