A kamikaze drone was intercepted near Walton Airport in Lahore, Pakistan, early Thursday morning, amid a wave of Indian strikes across multiple locations in the country, according to Pakistani military sources.
The explosion, heard in the Gopal Nagar and Naseerabad neighborhoods, occurred around the same time videos began circulating on social media showing smoke plumes rising near the airport perimeter. Geo TV was among the first to report the strike, citing eyewitness accounts and initial security statements.
In a statement later in the day, a Pakistan Army spokesperson confirmed that “a kamikaze drone was detected and neutralized near Walton Road, Lahore.” The spokesperson said the unmanned aerial system, measuring approximately 5 to 6 feet in length and carrying an explosive payload, was intercepted using electronic jamming systems before reaching its target.
No casualties or structural damage were officially reported, though local residents said they heard a loud blast and saw a low-flying drone moments before the explosion.
“There was a sharp buzzing sound overhead, then a flash and a bang,” one resident told reporters.
Open-source analysts suggested that the drone bore similarities to Israel’s Harop loitering munition, which has previously been exported to India. Although there was no official attribution, the incident follows a series of precision strikes on Pakistan that have been linked to Indian forces in response to a deadly terror attack in Kashmir earlier this month.
Pakistani authorities have yet to confirm whether the intercepted drone was part of a larger swarm or a standalone strike. However, defense officials in Islamabad say they are investigating reports of multiple drones operating near sensitive installations in the region overnight.