Op Sindoor: How world leaders reacted to India’s strike on terror camps in Pak

World leaders have reacted to India’s strikes on terror camps at nine locations across Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), expressing concern over the escalation of tensions in the region. They have urged New Delhi and Islamabad to exercise maximum restraint and defuse the tensions through dialogue and diplomacy.

The precision attacks, jointly executed by the Indian Army, Navy and Air Force, were completed in a span of just 25 minutes – from 1.05 am to 1.30 am. The entire operation was carried out in response to the deadly Pahalgam terror attack on April 22, which killed 26 people.

US President Donald Trump, who was the first to react to India’s strikes in Pakistan and PoK, described the situation as a “shame” and hoped that the tensions ended quickly.

“It’s a shame. Just heard about it. I guess people knew something was going to happen based on a little bit of the past. They have been fighting for a long time. They have been fighting for many, many decades. I hope it ends very quickly,” Trump said.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio voiced Trump’s remarks and said he was closely monitoring the situation between India and Pakistan.

“I am monitoring the situation between India and Pakistan closely. I echo @POTUS’s comments earlier today that this hopefully ends quickly and will continue to engage both Indian and Pakistani leadership towards a peaceful resolution,” he said.

Israel’s Ambassador to India Reuven Azar said the Jewish nation backed New Delhi’s right to self defence. “Terrorists should know there’s no place to hide from their heinous crimes against the innocent. #OperationSindoor,” he said, while mentioning the name of India’s operation in hashtag.

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres expressed concern about the Indian strikes and called for “maximum military restraint” from India and Pakistan, his spokesperson said.

“The Secretary-General is very concerned about the Indian military operations across the Line of Control and international border. He calls for maximum military restraint from both countries. The world cannot afford a military confrontation between India and Pakistan,” the official said.

China described India’s military operations in Pakistan and PoK as “regrettable” and said it was concerned about the ongoing situation. Beijing urged New Delhi and Islamabad to exercise restraint and refrain from taking actions that may further complicate the situation.

“China finds India’s military operation early this morning regrettable. We are concerned about the ongoing situation. We urge both sides to act in the larger interest of peace and stability, remain calm, exercise restraint and refrain from taking actions that may further complicate the situation,” a spokesperson from the Chinese Foreign Ministry said.

Interestingly, China’s response has been guarded even though it helped Pakistan water down a UN Security Council condemnation of the Pahalgam terror attack.

Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi also expressed concern about the escalation of tensions between India and Pakistan. He stressed that the situation may lead to further retaliatory exchanges and escalate into a full-scale military conflict.

Hayashi urged India and Pakistan to stabilise the situation through dialogue.

“In regard to the terrorist act that occurred in Kashmir on April 22, our country firmly condemns such acts of terrorism. Furthermore, we express strong concern that this situation may lead to further retaliatory exchanges and escalate into a full-scale military conflict. For the peace and stability of South Asia, we strongly urge both India and Pakistan to exercise restraint and stabilise the situation through dialogue,” he said.

UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan voiced the sentiments of world leaders and urged India and Pakistan to de-escalate tensions, and avoid further escalation that could threaten regional and international peace.

“Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan has called on the Republic of India and the Islamic Republic of Pakistan to exercise restraint, de-escalate tensions, and avoid further escalation that could threaten regional and international peace. His Highness stressed the importance of heeding the voices calling for dialogue and mutual understanding to prevent military escalation, strengthen stability in South Asia, and avoid further regional tensions,” a statement from the UAE Foreign Ministry said.

The UAE Foreign Minister called for diplomacy and dialogue as “most effective means” of peacefully resolving the crisis between India and Pakistan.

“His Highness reaffirmed that diplomacy and dialogue remain the most effective means of peacefully resolving crises, and achieving the shared aspirations of nations for peace, stability, and prosperity. His Highness further emphasized that the United Arab Emirates will continue its efforts to support all initiatives aimed at achieving peaceful resolutions to regional and international conflicts and mitigating their humanitarian consequences,” the statement said.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said her country was deeply concerned about the escalating military confrontation between India and Pakistan. She called on both sides to exercise restraint to prevent further deterioration of the situation.

INDIA ON OPERATION SINDOOR

The Defence Ministry, in a statement issued at 1.44 am, confirmed the launch of Operation Sindoor, aimed at dismantling terrorist infrastructure used to plan and direct attacks on the Indian soil. The nine terror targets also included the Jaish-e-Mohammad stronghold of Bahawalpur and Lashkar-e-Taiba’s base in Muridke, around 50 km from Lahore.

The government on Friday said that the precision strikes on terror camps across Pakistan and PoK were based on “credible intel” and aimed to “break the backbone of terrorism”.

The late-night strikes, which are believed to have eliminated over 80 terrorists, were executed within a span of just 25 minutes under Operation Sindoor.