A Republic Day video released by the Indian Air Force has reignited debate over whether Indian jets targeted Pakistan's sensitive Kirana Hills during Operation Sindoor last year.

The montage features Rafale, Sukhoi, Jaguar, and TEJAS aircraft in the 'Sindoor formation', set against the stirring backdrop of Mahishasura Mardini. It proclaims the jets as 'the unbreakable guarantor of peace' and 'fierce enforcer', while showing explosions at sites including near Sargodha's Mushaf airbase, adjacent to Kirana Hills.

Operation Sindoor unfolded on 7 May 2025, following the 22 April Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 civilians, mostly tourists, at the hands of Pakistan-sponsored militants. India responded with precision strikes on nine terrorist camps linked to Jaish-e-Mohammed, Lashkar-e-Taiba, and Hizbul Mujahideen in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, eliminating over 100 terrorists.

Pakistan retaliated with drones, missiles, and mortar fire on Indian military and civilian targets, prompting a swift Indian counterstrike. The Indian Air Force launched BrahMos, SCALP-EG, and Rampage missiles from Su-30MKIs, Jaguars, and Rafales, hitting 11 military sites up to 200 km inside Pakistan, including airbases at Nur Khan, Murid, Rafiqui, Rahim Yar Khan, Sukkur, Chunian, Pasrur, and Sialkot.

Satellite imagery from Maxar Technologies revealed significant damage: craters on Mushaf airbase's runway in Sargodha, measuring up to 15 feet wide, alongside impacts on hangars and vehicles. Nur Khan base near Islamabad, close to Pakistan's Strategic Plans Division nuclear command, also suffered destruction to command centres.

Kirana Hills, near Sargodha, has long been suspected as a nuclear storage hub, with CIA reports noting tunnels and radar stations hiding warheads, just 20 km from Mushaf and 75 km from the Khushab plutonium plant. OSINT analysts like Damien Symon cited Google Earth updates showing hits there as a 'warning strike' to demonstrate India's ability to neutralise Pakistan's arsenal.

Indian officials firmly denied striking Kirana Hills. Air Marshal AK Bharti stated on 12 May 2025, 'We have not hit Kirana Hills, whatever is there. We didn't know about it.' Defence briefings emphasised targets were terrorist infrastructure and military assets, not nuclear sites, with the IAEA dismissing radiation leak rumours.

The Republic Day video, released on 26 January 2026, shows footage of blasts at Kirana Hills alongside Pakistani assets hit during Sindoor, sparking accusations of subtle confirmation. Social media erupted, with users questioning if it exposes Pakistan's nuclear bluff, though IAF sources maintain it highlights operational prowess without specifics.

Strategic experts view the strikes on Nur Khan and Sargodha as deliberate messaging: India could decapitate Pakistan's nuclear command if escalated. A New York Times-cited US official noted Pakistan's fear of such capability, which reportedly coerced Islamabad into requesting ceasefire on 10 May 2025.

Pakistan downplayed the damage, claiming strikes hit 'empty hillsides', but visuals contradict this. No official Pakistani response to the IAF video has emerged, amid ongoing tensions.

The debate underscores India's growing precision strike doctrine, blending denial with displays of might, as seen in the video's showcase of Meteor missiles on Rafales—silencing past sceptics. It reaffirms the IAF's tactical superiority, forcing adversaries to rethink aggression.

IAF Press Release