Pakistan's Foreign Minister, Ishaq Dar, has officially confirmed that the Nur Khan Air Base in Rawalpindi's Chaklala area was targeted by India in May. During a year-end press briefing on Saturday, Dar acknowledged that the Indian strike caused damage to the military installation and resulted in injuries to personnel stationed at the base.

The admission follows Operation Sindoor, launched by India in response to the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam that resulted in the deaths of 26 civilians. Dar stated that India sent multiple drones over Pakistani territory within 36 hours, highlighting the operation's scale and accuracy. According to Dar, Pakistan intercepted 79 out of 80 drones, with the remaining drone causing damage to the airbase.

The Foreign Minister further mentioned that Pakistan's civil and military leadership, under Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, convened a meeting on May 9 to decide on a response. Dar stated that India "made the mistake" of attacking the Nur Khan Air Base in the early hours of May 10.

Earlier in May, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had also acknowledged that India targeted the Nur Khan Air Base and other locations during Operation Sindoor on the night of May 9-10. Sharif revealed that General Asim Munir alerted him at 2:30 am about the strikes. He said that one missile struck the Nur Khan Air Base, while the rest hit other locations. Sharif made these comments at a 'Youm-e-Tashakur' event to honor the armed forces’ response to the Indian strikes. He also appealed for renewed diplomatic engagement with India, emphasizing the need for peaceful resolution of outstanding issues.

Reports indicate that the US intervened to de-escalate tensions after the strike on Nur Khan Airbase, with concerns raised about potential nuclear escalation. The base's proximity to the Strategic Plans Division, which oversees Pakistan's nuclear warheads, heightened these concerns. On May 10, then US President Donald Trump announced that India and Pakistan had agreed to a ceasefire.

Satellite images taken around the time of the attack show damage to multiple air bases in Pakistan, including Nur Khan Air Base. The 2025 conflict marked the first drone battle between the two countries. Pakistan claimed to have struck 26 military targets in India during its retaliatory operation, codenamed Operation Bunyan-um-Marsoos.