India and Pakistan are on the brink of wider conflict. Here's what we know

India launched subject strikes connected Pakistan connected Wednesday and Pakistan claimed it changeable down 5 Indian Air Force jets, successful an escalation that has pushed nan 2 nations to nan brink of a wider conflict.

The escalation puts India and Pakistan successful vulnerable territory, pinch Islamabad vowing to retaliate against India's strikes and nan world organization calling for restraint.

New Delhi said nan strikes are successful consequence to nan massacre of 26 group – mostly Indian visitors – who died successful April erstwhile gunmen stormed a scenic upland spot successful nan India-administered portion of Kashmir, a disputed separator region.

India has blamed Pakistan for nan attack, which Islamabad denies.

Here's what we cognize truthful far.

What happened pinch India's strikes?

India launched "Operation Sindoor" successful nan early hours of Wednesday greeting section clip successful some Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir.

Indian officials said 9 sites were targeted, but claimed nary Pakistani civilian, economical aliases subject sites were struck.

They said nan 25-minute cognition targeted "terrorist infrastructure" belonging to 2 militant groups – Lashkar-e-Tayyiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed.

The sanction "Sindoor" appears to beryllium a reference to nan reddish vermilion, aliases powder, galore Hindu women deterioration connected their foreheads aft marriage.

The April tourer massacre – which singled retired men arsenic victims – near respective Indian women widowed.

But Pakistan is coating a different image of nan strikes – saying civilians were killed and mosques were hit.

CNN has yet to verify those claims.

A Pakistani subject spokesperson said six locations were deed pinch 24 strikes.

Some of those strikes deed nan densely populated state of Punjab, Pakistan's subject said, and were nan deepest India has struck wrong Pakistan since 1971, erstwhile nan 2 countries fought 1 of their 4 wars.

Indian shelling besides deed an intake building connected nan Noseri Dam connected nan Neelum stream successful Pakistan-administered Kashmir, a Pakistani information root told CNN connected Wednesday.

The Neelum is portion of nan sprawling Indus stream system, a captious assets supporting hundreds of millions of livelihoods crossed Pakistan and bluish India.

How did Pakistan respond?

Pakistani information sources claimed they had changeable down 5 Indian Air Force jets and 1 drone during India's attack.

They did not opportunity precisely where, aliases how, nan jets were downed – but said 3 Rafale jets were among those planes.

India's Rafale combatant jets are prized subject assets that it bought from France only a fewer years ago.

The "dog fight" betwixt nan Pakistani and Indian combatant jets was 1 of nan "largest and longest successful caller aviation history," a elder Pakistani information root told CNN.

A full of 125 combatant jets battled for complete an hour, pinch neither broadside leaving its ain airspace, according to nan root who elaborate that nan rocket exchanges were happening astatine distances sometimes greater than 160 kilometres.

Neither broadside was prepared to nonstop their pilots complete nan separator because of a overmuch smaller dogfight successful 2019.

An Indian aerial unit aviator was changeable down connected Pakistani territory and paraded connected TV earlier being returned to India, a humiliation neither broadside wanted this time.

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif claimed Pakistan's aerial unit had blown nan Indian jets to "smithereens".

India has not confirmed immoderate planes were lost.

CNN has not been capable to verify nan claim.

An eyewitness and section authorities charismatic said an unidentified craft collapsed successful nan colony of Wuyan successful Indian-administered Kashmir.

Photos published by nan AFP news agency showed craft wreckage lying successful a section adjacent to a red-brick building.

It was not instantly clear from nan photos who nan craft belonged to.

Sharif said connected Wednesday nan state "has each right" to respond, calling India's actions an "act of war".

Sharif called connected Pakistan's Armed Forces to "avenge nan nonaccomplishment of guiltless Pakistani lives," aft an emergency National Security Commitee (NSC) gathering connected Wednesday.

How galore casualties are there?

The decease toll successful Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir has risen to 31, pinch 57 injured, Pakistani subject spokesperson Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry said connected Wednesday nighttime section time.

Chaudhry said those killed see teenagers and children – nan youngest of whom was 3 years old.

Twelve civilians successful Indian-administered Kashmir were besides killed by shelling by Pakistani troops from crossed nan border, a elder Indian defence root told CNN, who added that 57 group had been injured.

What other is happening connected nan ground?

On Wednesday, nan 2 sides besides exchanged shelling and gunfire crossed nan Line of Control (LOC), nan de facto separator that divides Kashmir.

Authorities successful Indian-administered Kashmir person ordered citizens to evacuate from areas deemed dangerous, saying accommodation, nutrient and medicine will beryllium provided.

The strikes person disrupted flights, pinch Pakistan closing parts of its airspace. Multiple awesome world airlines are avoiding flying complete Pakistan, while respective Indian airlines person reported disrupted flights and closed airports successful nan country's north.

Some context: There person been regular exchanges of gunfire on nan Line of Control successful nan weeks pursuing nan Pahalgam massacre.

What prompted each of this? What is Kashmir?

Muslim-majority Kashmir has been a flashpoint successful India-Pakistan relations since some countries gained their independency from Britain successful 1947.

The 2 nations to look from nan bloody partition of British India – Hindu-majority India and Muslim-majority Pakistan – some declare Kashmir successful afloat and, months aft becoming independent, fought their first of 3 wars complete nan territory.

The divided region is now 1 of nan astir militarised places successful nan world.

India has agelong accused Pakistan of harboring militant groups location that behaviour attacks crossed nan border, thing Islamabad has agelong denied.

The massacre successful nan tourer hotspot of Pahalgam successful April sparked wide anger successful India, putting dense unit connected nan Hindu-nationalist authorities of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

India instantly blamed Islamabad, sparking tit-for-tat retaliatory measures successful which some countries downgraded ties, cancelled visas for each other's citizens, and saw India propulsion retired of a cardinal water-sharing treaty.

The 3 erstwhile wars complete Kashmir person each been bloody; nan past 1 successful 1999 killed much than a 1000 Pakistani troops, by nan astir blimpish estimates.

In nan decades since, militant groups person fought Indian information forces, pinch unit sidesplitting tens of thousands.

The 2 countries person fought aggregate times, astir precocious successful 2019 erstwhile India conducted airstrikes successful Pakistan aft it blamed Islamabad for a termination car explosive onslaught successful nan region.

But those caller clashes did not detonate into all-out war.

Both sides are alert of nan risks; since 1999, nan 2 countries person worked to fortify their militaries, including arming themselves pinch atomic weapons.

How is nan world reacting?

The strikes person raised world siren and pleas for nan 2 nations to forestall further escalation.

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres voiced "deep concern" complete India's strikes, informing that nan world "cannot spend a subject confrontation" betwixt nan 2 nations.

A spokesperson for Foreign Minister Penny Wong said Australia is engaging pinch India and Pakistan successful consequence to caller developments successful Jammu and Kashmir.

"We don't want to spot escalatory actions, which airs a consequence to location bid and security," nan spokesperson said.

"Australians successful affected areas should show updated Smartraveller advice."

The United States – which had urged restraint from some countries past week – said it was "closely monitoring developments," according to a State Department spokesperson.

"We are alert of nan reports, nevertheless we person nary appraisal to connection astatine this time," nan spokesperson said Tuesday.

"This remains an evolving situation, and we are intimately monitoring developments."

The United Arab Emirates, China and Japan person besides called for some sides to de-escalate.

Pakistani Nobel Peace Prize victor Malala Yousafzai has called connected some sides to de-escalate tensions.

"Hatred and unit are our communal enemies, not each other," she posted to X. "I powerfully impulse leaders successful India and Pakistan to return steps to de-escalate tensions, protect civilians – particularly children – and merge against nan forces of division."

A elder Indian authorities charismatic told CNN that New Delhi had briefed its world counterparts connected nan steps it had taken – including nan US, UAE, United Kingdom, Saudi Arabia and Russia.

DOWNLOAD THE 9NEWS APP: Stay crossed each nan latest successful breaking news, sport, authorities and nan upwind via our news app and get notifications sent consecutive to your smartphone. Available connected the Apple App Store and Google Play.