Web desk: Former Maharashtra Chief Minister and senior Congress leader Prithviraj Chavan has admitted that India suffered a complete defeat during the first day of Operation Sindoor.
Speaking about the half-hour aerial engagement on the 7th, Chavan said, “On the first day of Operation Sindoor, we were completely defeated.”
He further added, “In the half-hour aerial engagement, we were fully defeated, whether people accept it or not.”
Former Maharashtra Chief Minister and senior Congress leader Prithviraj Chavan further talked about the Indian aircraft being shot down. For a long time, India has denied that any of its aircraft have fallen.
The Ex CM said, “Indian aircraft were shot down. The Air Force was completely grounded, and not a single aircraft flew.”
He added that any aircraft attempting to take off from bases in Gwalior, Bathinda, or Sirsa would have faced a high probability of being shot down by Pakistan, which forced the Air Force to remain grounded.
He said, “If any aircraft had taken off from Gwalior, Bathinda, or Sirsa, there was a high probability of being shot down by Pakistan, which is why the Air Force was fully grounded.”
Israeli arms used in Operation Sindoor
Previously, the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appeared to confirm that Israel provided support during Operation Sindoor in May this year, when India attacked Pakistan, Dawn reported.
India, without evidence, blamed Pakistan for an attack on tourists in the occupied Kashmir’s Pahalgam.
The four-day confrontation ended when US President Donald Trump announced a surprise ceasefire.
Netanyahu met with the Indian ambassador to Israel, JP Singh, in Jerusalem.
In a post on X, he said the pair “discussed strengthening and expanding cooperation between Israel and India, particularly in the fields of security and economics”.
“Afterwards, I held a meeting with a group of senior journalists from India and answered their questions,” the Israeli leader wrote.
According to NDTV, Netanyahu confirmed the use of Israeli weapons during India’s military operations in May, including HARPY drones and the Barak-8 missile, which Israel jointly developed with India.
“The things we provided before worked very well on the field… we develop our weapons in the field, and they are battle-tested,” Netanyahu was quoted as saying by NDTV.
“They worked fine, and we have a pretty solid foundation.”
The Indian media outlet added that Israel was one of several countries that supported Operation Sindoor.
Over the last decade, India has imported military hardware worth $2.9 billion from Israel, including radars, surveillance and combat drones, and missiles.
