Pakistan is calling airstrikes launched by India an “act of war” Wednesday, with its military claiming it shot down five Indian fighter jets in retaliation. 

The strikes targeted at least nine sites “where terrorist attacks against India have been planned,” India’s Defense Ministry said. Pakistan’s military said the missiles hit six locations in Pakistan-administered Kashmir and in the country’s eastern Punjab province, killing at least 26 people, including women and children. 

“Pakistan has every right to give a robust response to this act of war imposed by India, and a strong response is indeed being given,” Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif declared. 

Tensions have soared between the nuclear-armed neighbors since an April attack in which gunmen killed 26 people, mostly Indian Hindu tourists, in the India-controlled portion of Kashmir. India accuses its neighbor of being behind that attack, which was claimed by a militant group calling itself Kashmir Resistance that India says is linked to Lashkar-e-Taiba, a disbanded Pakistani militant group. 

A damaged rooftop of the Bilal Mosque is seen after it was hit by an Indian strike in Muzaffarabad, the capital of Pakistan-administered Kashmir, on Wednesday, May 7. (Reuters/Akhtar Somroo)

Another aircraft fell in an open field in Bhardha Kalan village. Resident Sachin Kumar told the AP he heard massive blasts and saw a huge ball of fire. 

“We found the two pilots at some distance in injured condition. They were Indian pilots and soldiers took them away,” he added. 

India’s military said the strikes Wednesday were part of “Operation Sindoor.” 

“Our actions have been focused, measured and non-escalatory in nature,” India’s Defense Ministry said in a statement. “No Pakistan military facilities have been targeted.” 

Firefighters douse smoke coming out from the debris of an aircraft near Akhnoor on the outskirts of Jammu, India, on Wednesday, May 7. (AP/Channi Anand)

Pakistan’s National Security Committee also met Wednesday morning. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a special meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Security and postponed his upcoming official trip to Norway, Croatia and the Netherlands, scheduled to start next week. 

Fox News Digital’s Louis Casiano and the Associated Press contributed to this report.