Pakistani Drone Crosses LOC Into Poonch's Balakote Area — Indian Army Opens Fire

Late on the night of June 8-9, 2026, a suspected Pakistani drone crossed the Line of Control and briefly hovered over forward Indian Army positions in the Balakote area of the Mendhar sector, Poonch district, Jammu and Kashmir. Army personnel fired approximately nine rounds at the unmanned aerial vehicle, which is believed to have returned toward Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. Security agencies launched a search operation to determine whether the drone had dropped any payload — weapons, explosives, narcotics, or surveillance equipment — but no suspicious objects or airdropped material were recovered. The incident is one of several small-scale drone intrusions reported along the LOC and International Border in Jammu division since the May 2025 ceasefire, alongside continued counter-drone deployments in Samba and other border districts.