Fact Check: Viral Video Falsely shared as visuals showing Pakistan Shot Down Two Indian Rafale Aircraft

Following the Pahalgam attack on April 22nd, which resulted in the death of 26 civilians, the Indian Army, Navy, and Air Force conducted an attack on terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir at 1:44 AM on 07-05-2025. Prime Minister Narendra Modi continuously monitored this operation.

Indian forces targeted total nine locations in Pakistan and Pakistan occupied Kashmir in precise attacks codenamed 'Operation Sindoor.' Government of India stated that Pakistani military facilities were not targeted and that India exercised significant restraint regarding target selection and the execution of strategies. In response to these attacks, the Pakistani army fired at Indian villages along the Line of Control, killing three innocent civilians.

Pakistan's DG ISPR Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry stated that India conducted attacks on bases in Kotli, Muridke, Bahawalpur, Chak Amru, Bhimber, Gulpur, Sialkot, and Muzaffarabad. Sialkot, Bahawalpur, Chak Amru, and Muridke are located along the international border. The rest are located along the Line of Control in PoK. Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif responded, saying, "Pakistan has the right to respond to this act of aggression by India. There will be a strong response."

Meanwhile, some posts claiming that Pakistan shot down Indian Rafale fighter jets are going viral on social media.

Fact Check:

The viral claim is False. The MiG-29 fighter jet accident that occurred in September 2024 is being attributed to Operation Sindoor.

In the viral posts, we can see an aircraft engulfed in flames. When we conducted a Google reverse image search, we could confirm that these visuals have been online since 2024. We found a Lokmat News article titled "IAF Plane Crash in Rajasthan: Indian Air Force MiG-29 Fighter Jet Crashes Near Barmer, Pilot Safe (Watch Video)." The photo used in that article is the same as the viral photo.

The article reported in September 2024, "An Indian Air Force (IAF) MiG-29 fighter jet crashed near Barmer on Monday evening. The pilot ejected safely. There were no reports of any casualties. The jet is said to have caught fire after the accident."

We also found that the Indian Air Force tweeted about this accident on September 2nd.

IANS shared the same visuals on its Twitter account. It posted, "During a routine night training mission in Barmer sector, an IAF MiG-29 encountered a critical technical snag, forcing the pilot to eject. The pilot is safe and no loss of life or property was reported. A Court of Inquiry has been ordered: IAF." It stated that the accident occurred during a regular exercise. It explained that the accident was caused by a technical error in the MiG-29 aircraft.

Several reports about this incident can be found here, here, and here.

India Today reported that the Air Force stated that a Court of Inquiry has been ordered to investigate the causes of the accident. Reports stated that Barmer District Collector Nishant Jain, Police Superintendent Narendra Singh Meena, and other officials reached the accident site.

D-Intent Data also reported that the viral posts are misleading.

Therefore, the claim made by the viral posts is False.

Update: The title has been updated to ‘Fact Check: Viral Video Falsely shared as visuals showing Pakistan Shot Down Two Indian Rafale Aircraft on May 8, 2025