Operation Sindoor is a military concept and codename for a tri-service military operation conducted by the Indian armed forces in May 2025. It was created as a retaliatory and punitive measure following the Pahalgam terror attack on April 22, 2025, which killed 26 civilians. The operation's purpose was to destroy the terrorist infrastructure across the border and enforce deterrence against cross-border terrorism, which India attributed to groups like The Resistance Front (TRF), a proxy of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT).
The mechanism of Operation Sindoor involved a multi-domain, high-precision offensive, unlike previous operations like the 2016 surgical strikes or the 2019 Balakot airstrike. The initial phase, on the night of May 6-7, 2025, involved precision strikes targeting nine sites in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK) linked to anti-India terrorist groups such as LeT and Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM). The operation leveraged intelligence-driven stand-off weapons, including BrahMos cruise missiles and loitering munitions, delivered by platforms like Rafale and Sukhoi-30MKI aircraft, to ensure surgical delivery and minimal collateral damage. India claimed the strikes killed over 100 terrorists, including senior leaders like Abdul Rauf Azhar of JeM.
The operation connects to India's evolving military strategy, marking a departure from the doctrine of strategic restraint toward a more assertive posture of offensive defence. A significant non-military measure connected to the operation was India's decision to hold the Indus Waters Treaty of 1960 in abeyance until Pakistan credibly abjured support for cross-border terrorism. The operation was later expanded to target Pakistani military installations after Pakistan's retaliatory strikes, leading to the 2025 India–Pakistan conflict, which ended with a ceasefire on May 10, 2025. The operation showcased the synergy between the Indian Army, Air Force, and Navy, supported by the Integrated Command and Control Strategy (ICCS).