New Satellite Image Hints At Indian Missile Strike On Pakistan's Kirana Hills During Op Sindoor
The satellite images were analysed and shared on X by geo-intelligence researcher and satellite imagery expert Damien Symon.
Nearly a month after the government denied targeting Pakistan's nuclear hub at Kirana Hills during Operation Sindoor, a new satellite image emerged showing the impact zone of India's missile strike in the sensitive Sargodha district.
India targeted key Pakistani military installations on May 10, as part of Operation Sindoor, to avenge the terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam, which claimed 26 lives.
The satellite images were analysed and shared on X by geo-intelligence researcher and satellite imagery expert Damien Symon.
'Imagery update from Google Earth of the Sargodha region, Pakistan, captured in June 2025, shows — 1. The impact location of India's strike on Kirana Hills in May 2025; 2. Repaired runways at Sargodha airbase post-India's strikes in May 2025," he shared.
Imagery update from Google Earth of the Sargodha region, Pakistan, captured in June 2025, shows –1 – the impact location of India's strike on Kirana Hills in May 20252 – repaired runways at Sargodha airbase post India's strikes in May 2025 pic.twitter.com/BLOXYB9fKP
— Damien Symon (@detresfa_) July 18, 2025
Further, another satellite image showed recently repaired runways at the Sargodha airbase, indicating it sustained damage during the Indian strikes in May.
The swift restoration work suggests the airbase is regarded as a high-priority strategic installation.
Kirana is a high-security zone linked to Pakistan's nuclear weapons program. It is believed to contain an underground facility for storing nuclear arms and has reportedly been used for nuclear research and testing, including subcritical tests carried out in the 1980s.
While independent experts continue to assess the newly surfaced evidence, there has been no official statement from Pakistan confirming or denying the development.
Following Operation Sindoor, the Indian Air Force also dismissed claims that it had targeted Kirana Hills.
At a press conference on May 12, Director General of Air Operations Air Marshal AK Bharti responded to a query about the Kirana Hills strike, saying, 'Thank you for telling us that Kirana Hills houses some nuclear installations. We did not know about it. We have not hit Kirana Hills. I did not brief in my briefing yesterday."
Notably, his subtle smile while delivering the response drew significant attention online.
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July 20, 2025, 07:55 IST
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