
US Consulate in Lahore issues shelter-in-place directive as India destroys Pakistani air defence base
In a significant fallout from escalating Indo-Pak tensions, the United States State Department confirmed that the US Consulate General in Lahore has directed all its personnel to shelter-in-place. The consulate has also received initial reports suggesting local authorities may be evacuating areas adjacent to Lahore Airport.
This development comes shortly after India's Armed Forces confirmed a precision airstrike on a Pakistani air defence system located in Lahore as part of its ongoing Operation Sindoor. The strike was part of India's proportionate response to Pakistan's failed attempt to breach and attack 16 Indian cities using drones and missiles on the night of May 7-8.
Due to reports of drone explosions, downed drones, and possible airspace incursions in and near Lahore, the US Consulate General in Lahore has directed all consulate personnel to shelter-in-place. The Consulate has also received initial reports that authorities may be evacuating… pic.twitter.com/3ZzHlmlSye
— ANI (@ANI) May 8, 2025
Key Indian military bases in Awantipora, Srinagar, Jammu, Pathankot, Amritsar, Kapurthala, Jalandhar, Ludhiana, Adampur, Bhatinda, Chandigarh, Nal, Phalodi, Uttarlai, and Bhuj were targeted. However, the Indian Air Force successfully intercepted all threats using its S-400 'Sudarshan Chakra' defence system.
The Ministry of Defence confirmed that the retaliatory Indian strike on Lahore and other locations was 'in the same domain and with the same intensity' as the Pakistani aggression.
With the situation still fluid and Operation Sindoor underway, the international community is closely monitoring developments, particularly around Lahore — a key hub for Pakistan's military infrastructure.
Aditya Bhagchandani serves as the Senior Editor and Writer at Business Upturn, where he leads coverage across the Business, Finance, Corporate, and Stock Market segments. With a keen eye for detail and a commitment to journalistic integrity, he not only contributes insightful articles but also oversees editorial direction for the reporting team.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


CNBC
3 hours ago
- CNBC
Israel considering military strike on Iran, sources say
Israel is considering taking military action against Iran — most likely without U.S. support — in the coming days, even as President Donald Trump is in advanced discussions with Tehran about a diplomatic deal to curtail its nuclear program, according to five people with knowledge of the situation. Israel has become more serious about a unilateral strike on Iran as the negotiations between the U.S. and Iran appear closer to a preliminary or framework agreement that includes provisions about uranium enrichment that Israel views as unacceptable. A unilateral strike or action by Israel against Iran would be a dramatic break with the Trump administration, which has argued against such a step. The renewed threat of an Israeli strike comes as the Trump administration is awaiting a response from Iran on a proposed framework of a nuclear deal, and as the president has publicly said Tehran has become more hardline in its negotiations. The notion of a new front in a simmering conflict has prompted the Trump administration to order all embassies within striking distance of Iranian missiles, aircraft and other assets (including missions in the Middle East, Northern Africa, and Eastern Europe) to send cables with assessments about danger and about measures to mitigate risks to Americans and U.S. infrastructure, according to two sources familiar. U.S. and other officials are on alert awaiting the possibility of Israel striking Iran, the officials said. The White House has not briefed senior lawmakers on the issue, according to that aide and a U.S. official. One major concern is Iran retaliating against U.S. personnel or assets in the region for any action. Israel, which relies on intelligence or other direct and logistical assistance from the U.S., may be in a position to take unilateral action against Tehran, the source familiar said. The sources familiar and officials were not aware of any planned U.S. involvement in the possible action. The U.S. could support with aerial re-fueling or intelligence sharing rather than kinetic support but the sources and officials were not aware of plans for that either at this point. U.S. officials have announced that the voluntary departure of non-essential employees from the region. And the Pentagon announced the voluntary departure of military families from locations all across the U.S. Central Command area of operations. CENTCOM Commander General Erik Kurilla was due to testify on the Hill on Thursday, but the hearing was postponed late Wednesday without explanation. A source familiar said Kurilla had to focus on this unfolding situation. Another possible factor: Iran is rebuilding its strategic air defenses, and manned strikes will soon be exponentially more dangerous for Israeli pilots. In October, Israel damaged nearly every one of Iran's strategic air defense systems (mainly S-300s) but much of the damage was to the radars or other parts that can be rebuilt. It's possible Israel's window for manned strikes, without being threatened by Iran's coordinated strategic air defenses, is closing. While Israel would most likely prefer U.S. military and intelligence support for strikes — especially against Iranian nuclear facilities — they showed in October that they can do a lot alone. Michael Knights of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, said the evacuation of non-essential staff at the U.S. embassy in Iraq will send a message to Tehran that Trump will not necessarily hold Israel back from launching a threatened attack on Iran. "It's about trying to get Iran to respect the president's wishes," Knights said. Iran has failed to meet a two-month deadline set by Trump to reach an agreement on the country's nuclear activities, and the president is frustrated, he said. Both Knights and a source with knowledge of the matter said it was unclear if Israel would undertake a limited military strike now or wait until nuclear negotiations played out further. Trump has expressed growing frustration over Iran's stance at recent indirect talks, portraying Tehran as inflexible and slow moving. "They're just asking for things that you can't do. They don't want to give up what they have to give up," Trump told reporters on Monday. "They seek enrichment. We can't have enrichment."
Yahoo
7 hours ago
- Yahoo
US reviewing Aukus submarine pact as part of 'America First' agenda
The US has launched a review of its multi-billion dollar submarine deal with the UK and Australia, saying the security pact must fit its "America First" agenda. Under the trilateral pact, widely seen as a response to the growing power of China, Australia is to get its first nuclear-powered subs from the US, before the allies create a new fleet by sharing cutting-edge tech. Both Australia and the UK - which did its own review last year - have sought to play down news of the US probe, saying it is natural for a new administration to reassess. The move comes as Australia faces pressure from the White House to lift its military spending, from 2% to 3.5% of GDP, a push so far resisted by Canberra. The agreement - worth £176bn ($239bn; A$368bn) - was signed in 2021, when all three countries involved had different leaders. "The department is reviewing Aukus as part of ensuring that this initiative of the previous administration is aligned with the President's America First agenda," a US defence official told the BBC. "As [US Defense] Secretary [Pete] Hegseth has made clear, this means ensuring the highest readiness of our servicemembers, that allies step up fully to do their part for collective defense, and that the defense industrial base is meeting our needs." The review will be headed up Elbridge Colby, who has previously been critical of Aukus, in a speech last year questioning why the US would give away "this crown jewel asset when we most need it". Defence Minister Richard Marles, speaking to local Australian media on Thursday morning local time, said he was optimistic the deal would continue. "I'm very confident this is going to happen," he told ABC Radio Melbourne. "You just need to look at the map to understand that Australia absolutely needs to have a long-range submarine capability." Some in Australia have been lobbying for the country to develop a more independent defence strategy, but Marles said it was important to "stick to a plan" - a reference to the previous government's controversial cancellation of a submarine deal with France in favour of Aukus. An Australian government spokesperson told the BBC it was "natural" that the new administration would "examine" the agreement, adding the UK had also recently finished a review of the security pact between the long-standing allies. There is "clear and consistent" support for the deal across the "full political spectrum" in the US, they said, adding Australia looked forward to "continuing our close cooperation with the Trump Administration on this historic project". A UK defence spokesperson told the BBC it was "understandable" for a new administration to look at the deal, "just as the UK did last year". Aukus is a "landmark security and defence partnership with two of our closest allies", the spokesperson said, and "one of the most strategically important partnerships in decades, supporting peace and security in the Indo-Pacific and Euro-Atlantic".
Yahoo
9 hours ago
- Yahoo
Stocks dip despite Trump's notice of ‘DONE' deal with China and better-than-expected inflation data
The S&P 500 posted a 0.27% decline on Wednesday as investors weighed Trump's scant-on-details trade deal with China as well as an inflation report that outperformed analysts' expectations. The stock markets dropped on Wednesday despite a seemingly positive development in the trade war between the U.S. and China alongside a better-than-expected inflation report for May. The S&P 500 dipped 0.27%, the Nasdaq fell 0.50%, and the Dow Jones closed the day essentially flat. 'OUR DEAL WITH CHINA IS DONE, SUBJECT TO FINAL APPROVAL WITH PRESIDENT XI AND ME,' President Donald Trump posted Wednesday morning on his social media platform, Truth Social, referring to President Xi Jinping of China. Trump gave few specifics but said that China would continue to export magnets and rare earth materials to the U.S. and only implement a 10% tariff on American goods. The U.S., in turn, would enforce a 55% tariff on exports from the People's Republic of China to the U.S. and let Chinese students continue to attend American colleges and universities. The U.S. and China had previously levied tariffs as high as 145% and 125% on each other, respectively. Trump's administration had also signaled it would start to cancel student visas for Chinese students in a move that a Chinese foreign minister called 'discriminatory.' It remains unclear when the trade deal between the two superpowers goes into effect or whether the U.S. offered China any more concessions. Xinhua, a Chinese state news agency, said the U.S. and China had 'candid and in-depth talks' in its evaluation of the agreement. Meanwhile, the Bureau of Labor Statistics released its consumer price index report for May. The U.S. agency noted that inflation had only crept up by 0.1% from April to 2.4%. That was slightly less than the median estimate of 2.5% from economists polled by FactSet. Analysts had worried that Trump's aggressive set of tariffs would increase prices for American consumers. Still, some warn that the full effect of the White House's trade war hasn't percolated throughout the economy. 'It's encouraging to see inflation moderate further, and yet we are aware of the possibility of some tariff-related lift in prices coming in the back half of the year,' wrote Rick Rieder, chief investment officer of global fixed income at BlackRock. Wednesday's market dip followed a week of gains. In June, the S&P 500 neared the all-time highs it posted in February, which was shortly after the 47th president's inauguration. This story was originally featured on