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In a televised address to the nation on Wednesday night, Pakistan's Prime Minister said it would respond to any acts of aggression. Meanwhile, Hassan Khan, a security and political analyst, joins live from Islamabad.

India’s army says at least 15 civilians have been killed, and dozens injured, in Pakistani shelling across the de facto border in the disputed Kashmir territory.

Cardinals at the Vatican City have elected a new Pope on the second day of a papal conclave. White smoke rose from the Sistine Chapel's chimney indicating electors have chosen a new leader of the Roman Catholic Church. The new Pope hasn't yet been named. He is expected to give a blessing in the next few hours. elected the new leader of the Roman Catholic Church

Georgetown University Assistant Professor Uday Chandra, in an interview, analyzed the escalating India-Pakistan tensions, highlighting Pakistan’s pledge to see the conflict through to its "logical conclusion" while dismissing the likelihood of full-scale war. He noted that unverified claims of downed Indian jets—fiercely contested by Delhi—exemplify the current "fog of war," drawing parallels to the 2019 Abhinandan standoff, where symbolic gestures outweighed tangible outcomes. Chandra stressed that civilian casualties, unlike the military losses of 2019, have exposed India’s security lapses, intensifying political pressure on New Delhi. While acknowledging Pakistan’s rare strikes on Punjab—its first in decades—he characterized the crisis as a performative "game of chicken" aimed at domestic audiences, with backchannel negotiations quietly persisting behind the scenes.

Osama Bin Javaid spoke with Pakistan’s former Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari about the country’s latest military confrontation with India and his view on the path ahead. Bhutto Zardari, now the chairman of the Pakistan People’s Party, said Pakistan does not seek war, but has the right to defend itself after India’s overnight aerial assault. “What choice does Pakistan have? Innocent civilians have been killed. Our sovereignty has been violated,” he told Al Jazeera. “We’ve never pursued the path to conflict. But India is making it very difficult. And they’re once again threatening the peace and stability in all of South Asia.” Bhutto Zardari stressed that Pakistan played no role in the April 22 attack in Indian-administered Kashmir that New Delhi has accused it of being behind, and pressed for an international inquiry to shed light on the facts. “Our hands are clean and we’d like to get to the bottom of this,” said Bhutto Zardari. “Why did India reject Pakistan’s proposal for an international, impartial investigation into the incident …They still to this day have been unable to name to us, to tell us or anybody else those who are involved in these attacks, despite Pakistan’s calls for an international inquiry.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said that a new offensive in the besieged Gaza Strip will be an intensive military operation aimed at defeating Hamas, but stopped short of detailing just how much of the enclave’s territory would be seized. In a Hebrew-language video message on X, addressing the Security Cabinet-approved plan to expand the Gaza offensive, Netanyahu said on Monday that Gaza’s Palestinian population “will be moved, for its own protection”. Netanyahu’s cabinet unanimously approved plans to call up reservists and put the Israeli military in charge of food and other vital supplies to the 2.3 million people suffering under its blockade of the Palestinian territory. While Netanyahu again asserted that the goal was to “defeat” Hamas and bring back several dozen captives held in Gaza, the Hostages and Missing Families Forum, an Israeli campaign group, said in a statement on Monday that the plan is “sacrificing” those still held in the Palestinian territory.

Multiple explosions have been heard and a huge fire seen in Port Sudan, though the exact locations and causes were unclear, as Sudan’s civil war rocks the previously quiet city for the third day. Dark plumes of smoke could be seen emerging from the vicinity of the country’s main maritime port in the city, where hundreds of thousands of displaced people have sought refuge.

Conservative leader Friedrich Merz has been elected chancellor by Germany’s parliament in a second round of voting after his new alliance with the centre-left Social Democrats was dealt a surprise defeat in the first attempt. Merz’s failure to win parliamentary backing in the first round of voting was a first for post-war Germany.

Yemeni journalist and political commentator Hussain al-Bukhaiti reports that the Ansar Allah movement also known as the Houthis has vowed to respond to the “dozens” of Israeli attacks with new missile strikes targeting Israeli airports and energy infrastructure in the coming hours. “They have announced Ben Gurion airport has become a legitimate target and warned airlines they should not use that airport,” al-Bukhaiti told Al Jazeera. “They’ve said any causalities caused will be the responsibility of Israel and those airlines.” The retaliation could involve “dozens of ballistic missiles, drones, and cruise missiles”, he added. The Houthis will continue their attacks until Israel agrees to a ceasefire with Hamas in Gaza, removes its blockade on aid reaching the Palestinians, and “stops its genocide”, said al-Bukhaiti.

The Israeli army confirmed that it had carried out air strikes targeting areas in and around the port city of Hodeidah. At least 30 warplanes reportedly took part in the attack, which has now ended. They are said to have hit a cement factory, targeted the sea port in Hodeidah and an area near an airport. The strikes came a day after a missile fired by the Houthis hit Ben Gurion airport in Tel Aviv. Israeli media reports that the strikes on Hodeidah have targeted a concrete factory used to support Houthi military industries. No casualties have been reported so far. Neither Israel nor the Houthis have released official statements on the attack.