The U.S. Secretary of State called the military chief, urging for peace and dialogue.

 

In the context of the ongoing tension in South Asia, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke to Pakistan's Army Chief General Asim Munir on Saturday (May 10). A US State Department spokesperson said that in this conversation, Rubio called on both India and Pakistan to maintain peace and de-escalate tensions.

Rubio offered US support to start a constructive dialogue between the two neighboring countries to avoid future conflict.

Geo News reported this in a report on Saturday (May 10).

Earlier on Saturday morning, the Pakistani government said that it had launched a large-scale military operation by attacking multiple military bases in northern India. The attack targeted various strategic military installations, including missile depots.

Pakistan said that the operation, called 'Operation Bunya Num Marsus', targeted the Pathankot airbase in Punjab, the Udhampur airbase in Jammu and Kashmir and a Brahmos missile depot. The Pakistan military's media wing, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), said the Brahmos missile depot in the Beas area had been destroyed.

India and Pakistan have been exchanging drones, missiles and heavy shelling since Wednesday. The clashes have already killed more than 50 people.

Pakistan's Information Minister, X (formerly Twitter), said in a post that the name "Bunya Num Marsus" was taken from the Holy Quran, meaning a strong and united structure.

Pakistan's Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal told a local TV channel that they had taken special measures to avoid civilian targets and that only those places from which attacks were directed at Pakistan were attacked.

Earlier, in a midnight live broadcast, ISPR Director General Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry said that India had launched missile strikes on three Pakistani air bases. He said most of the missiles were intercepted and no aircraft were damaged.

One of the targets of the attack was the Noor Khan Air Base in Rawalpindi, which is located just 10 kilometers from the capital Islamabad. Multiple explosions were heard in Islamabad at midnight. The base is usually used to receive foreign diplomats. Saudi Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Adel al-Jubeir left the base that night.

The ISPR Director General said that they will get a response to the Indian attack very soon.