The Pakistani military shot down six Indian aircraft, including two fighter jets and a drone, following a missile attack by India called Operation Sindoor, Pakistani officials said Tuesday night.

India’s strikes hit nine cities in Pakistan's Punjab region, killed at least 31 people, including seven children, and injured 35 others, according to Pakistani officials.

In response, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif vowed further retaliation in a statement on X, calling the attack a “heinous act of aggression,” and that “Pakistan reserves the absolute right to respond decisively to this unprovoked Indian attack.”

India’s military says the strikes were aimed at militant infrastructure belonging to Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) and Kashmir-based Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT). India alleges they both operate from Pakistani territory.

Clashes along Kashmir's de facto line of control between both countries have also been reported, with Pakistani officials claiming the capture of a group of Indian soldiers in Jammu and Kashmir, the Indian-controlled side of the disputed region.

Amid rising tensions, several airlines including Air India and Qatar Airways have suspended or diverted flights in the region, according to a Reuters report.

The military escalation between the two nuclear-armed nations is being monitored by multiple nations, including the United States and the United Arab Emirates. 

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated on X “this hopefully ends quickly,” and that the US “will continue to engage both Indian and Pakistani leadership towards a peaceful resolution.”

UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed called for de-escalation, according to the state-run news agency WAM.