‘Fake news, old images’: PIB fact-checks claims that Pakistan downed India’s Rafale aircraft

Amidst heightened military tensions between India and Pakistan, several false claims and counter-claims have emerged on social media, primarily circulated by Pakistani news channels and X accounts. This wave of misinformation and propaganda warfare broke out after India carried out missile strikes on nine terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir on early Wednesday (May 7).

Many of these claims have now been debunked by independent fact-checkers and observers. Here are some of them:

Following the conclusion of _Operation Sindoor_, numerous posts surfaced on X alleging that Pakistan has retaliated by striking 15 locations within India. Some posts falsely claimed that the Pakistan Air Force attacked the Srinagar Airbase, destroyed an Indian Army Brigade Headquarters, and hit fighter jets. Many of these claims were spread by accounts with a large number of followers that have previously shown support for Pakistan’s Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR). However, analysts have stated that there is no reliable satellite imagery or video evidence to back up these claims.

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The Press Information Bureau (PIB) of India dismissed these claims in a post on X. The PIB in its post confirmed that the claim was fake.

Social media posts falsely claims that Pakistan destroyed Indian Brigade Headquarters.#PIBFactCheck

❌ This claim is #FAKE

✅ Please avoid sharing unverified information and rely only on official sources from the Government of India for accurate information. pic.twitter.com/9W5YLjBubp

— PIB Fact Check (@PIBFactCheck) May 7, 2025

“The video shared is old and NOT from India. The video is from sectarian clashes that took place in the year 2024, in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. Rely only on official Government of India sources for authentic Information,” the PIB said in a statement.

In a video shared by several pro-Pakistan handles, it is being falsely claimed that the Pakistan Airforce has targeted Srinagar airbase#PIBFactCheck

❌ The video shared is old and NOT from India.

✅The video is from sectarian clashes that took place in the year 2024, in… pic.twitter.com/vPmMq4IWdE

— PIB Fact Check (@PIBFactCheck) May 7, 2025

One video from 2024 was also shared by some handles and Pakistani media, claiming it to be a downed Indian fighter jet in Pakistan Army’s retaliation.

That claim is fake. The widely circulated image is of a crashed MiG-29 from 2024. The PIB stated, “The image is from an earlier incident involving an Indian Air Force (IAF) MiG-29 fighter jet that crashed in Barmer, Rajasthan, in September 2024.”

An old image showing a crashed aircraft is being re-circulated by pro-Pakistan handles in various forms in the current context of #OperationSindoor#PIBFactcheck

✔️The image is from an earlier incident involving an Indian Air Force (IAF) MiG-29 fighter jet that crashed in… pic.twitter.com/6NJQvRH7KJ

— PIB Fact Check (@PIBFactCheck) May 7, 2025

On Wednesday, the Indian armed forces launched “ Operation Sindoor”, a swift and targeted military response to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 civilians. The operation focused on striking terrorist infrastructure both in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).

In an official statement, the Ministry of Defence confirmed that nine terror-linked sites were hit with precision. Importantly, the strikes did not target any Pakistani military facilities, highlighting that the operation was aimed strictly at eliminating terror bases and avoiding direct military escalation.