ISLAMABAD

The Pakistan Air Force has downed five Indian Air Force jets following missile strikes by India, Pakistan’s defense chief said early Wednesday.

"The Pakistan Air Force has shot down at least five Indian fighter jets in response to India’s recent cross-border aggression," Defense Minister Khawaja Asif confirmed to private broadcaster Geo TV.

Earlier, military spokesman Lt. Gen. Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry confirmed the downing of two aircraft of the Indian Air Force, according to CNN.

"There are other reports of multiple damage that Pakistani forces, both on the ground and air, have inflicted. But I can confirm to you that at least two aircraft of the Indian Air Force have been downed," Chaudhry added.

There was no immediate reaction from Indian authorities to Pakistani state media reports about the downing of the jets.

Earlier, India launched missile strikes targeting several cities in Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir.

Chaudhry said India had fired missiles on the cities of Bahawalpur, Muridke, Bagh, Muzaffarabad and Kotli from its air space.

He confirmed that at least eight people were killed and 35 injured while two others were missing.

He said India targeted six places.

According to Pakistani security sources, the downed Indian aircraft were targeted "while attempting to strike Pakistan using Indian airspace."

They included three Rafale jets, a MiG-29 and one SU-30, the sources added.

Along the Line of Control, which divides the disputed Jammu and Kashmir region into two territories, the rival armies continued cross-border fire.

The escalation between the nuclear-armed neighbors comes in the wake of an April 22 attack in Pahalgam, Indian-administered Kashmir in which 26 people were killed.

India blamed Pakistan for the attack, claiming there were cross-border links. Pakistan denied that it had anything to do with the killings.

Amid the military escalation, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke to Pakistani and Indian national security advisers.

"I am monitoring the situation between India and Pakistan closely. I echo @POTUS' (President Donald Trump) comments...that this hopefully ends quickly and will continue to engage both Indian and Pakistani leadership towards a peaceful resolution," Rubio said on X.

In view of the escalation between the two nuclear-armed neighbors, Pakistan closed its airspace for 48 hours.

Several northern Indian airports have been shut temporarily, according to officials.

Public radio broadcaster All India Radio said that several airports in the northern part of the country are closed “for commercial operations” after India launched strikes in Pakistan.

The airports closed include Srinagar Airport in Jammu and Kashmir, according to an official statement.

Several airliners have either cancelled or diverted their flights to and from Jammu, Srinagar, Leh, Jodhpur, Amritsar, Bhuj, Jamnagar, Chandigarh and Rajkot.

International airline Qatar Airways temporarily suspended flights to Pakistan due to the closure of Pakistani airspace.

*Contributions by Iclal Turan and Ahmad Adil in New Delhi