NEW DELHI: More than two months after the Indian govt denied targeting Kirana Hills, where a chunk of Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal is believed to be located, fresh imagery from Google Earth, captured in June, appears to indicate that a missile indeed hit the strategically sensitive site in Pakistan’s Sargodha district.
On May 10, India targeted several key Pakistani military installations as part of Operation Sindoor to avenge the horrific killing of tourists in J&K’s Pahalgam by terrorists linked to Pakistan-based terror groups.
The satellite images were analysed and shared by well-known satellite imagery expert and geo-intelligence researcher Damien Symon on X. “Imagery update from Google Earth of the Sargodha region, Pakistan, captured in June 2025, shows — 1. The impact location of India’s strike on Kirana Hills in May 2025; 2. Repaired runways at Sargodha airbase post-India’s strikes in May 2025,” he shared.
Kirana is a heavily-fortified area associated with Pakistan’s nuclear weapons programme. It’s believed to house an underground nuclear weapons storage facility and serve as a site for nuclear research and testing, including subcritical nuclear tests conducted in the 1980s. The area is considered strategically important because of the radar stations and tunnels, supposed to be meant for military purpose, located there. The site’s proximity to the Sargodha airbase (now rechristened Mushaf airbase) only adds to its strategic importance .
In the immediate wake of Operation Sindoor, the IAF had denied reports that it hit Kirana Hills.
Replying to a question on Kirana Hills in a press conference on May 12, Director General of Air Operations Air Marshal AK Bharti had said, “Thank you for telling us that Kirana Hills houses some nuclear installations. We did not know about it. We have not hit Kirana Hills. I did not brief in my briefing yesterday.” However, DGMO Bharti’s peculiar smile while answering that question then went viral.
To an X user’s question on whether the Indian missile strike “indicates that the explosion was deep inside and whether this place which was struck a point of significance like an entrance or an exit”, Symon replied, “No, this along with earlier imagery, neither indicate any subterranean impact or penetration, its just one side of a hill with nothing of value in its immediate vicinity, must've been a warning strike on India’s part, tunnels etc are further away & don’t show any damage.”
In addition to the impact site, the satellite images also showed repaired runways at the Sargodha airbase, further indicating damage sustained during the Indian strikes in May. The rapid repairs suggest the airbase was considered a high-priority strategic asset.
India had launched around 15 BrahMos missiles and other precision weapons on the night of May 9-10, targeting key Pakistani airbases. The operation, carried out by the IAF, damaged 11 out of Pakistan’s 13 major airbases, delivering a significant blow to the rival country’s air defence network and military infrastructure.
It was Symon who had earlier dismissed certain Pakistan media outlets’ claims that their military had targeted the Adampur airbase in Punjab allegedly damaging a Su-30MKI and destroying a Russia-developed S-400 air defence system. To dismiss these assertions, Symon had then provided imagery from March 2025, well before the conflict, which depicted a MiG-29 undergoing routine maintenance.
After the conflict ended, PM Narendra Modi went to the Adampur airbase and posed with security personnel with an S-400 missile defence battery in the background, debunking Pakistan’s claims.
On May 10, India targeted several key Pakistani military installations as part of Operation Sindoor to avenge the horrific killing of tourists in J&K’s Pahalgam by terrorists linked to Pakistan-based terror groups.
The satellite images were analysed and shared by well-known satellite imagery expert and geo-intelligence researcher Damien Symon on X. “Imagery update from Google Earth of the Sargodha region, Pakistan, captured in June 2025, shows — 1. The impact location of India’s strike on Kirana Hills in May 2025; 2. Repaired runways at Sargodha airbase post-India’s strikes in May 2025,” he shared.
Kirana is a heavily-fortified area associated with Pakistan’s nuclear weapons programme. It’s believed to house an underground nuclear weapons storage facility and serve as a site for nuclear research and testing, including subcritical nuclear tests conducted in the 1980s. The area is considered strategically important because of the radar stations and tunnels, supposed to be meant for military purpose, located there. The site’s proximity to the Sargodha airbase (now rechristened Mushaf airbase) only adds to its strategic importance .
In the immediate wake of Operation Sindoor, the IAF had denied reports that it hit Kirana Hills.
Replying to a question on Kirana Hills in a press conference on May 12, Director General of Air Operations Air Marshal AK Bharti had said, “Thank you for telling us that Kirana Hills houses some nuclear installations. We did not know about it. We have not hit Kirana Hills. I did not brief in my briefing yesterday.” However, DGMO Bharti’s peculiar smile while answering that question then went viral.
To an X user’s question on whether the Indian missile strike “indicates that the explosion was deep inside and whether this place which was struck a point of significance like an entrance or an exit”, Symon replied, “No, this along with earlier imagery, neither indicate any subterranean impact or penetration, its just one side of a hill with nothing of value in its immediate vicinity, must've been a warning strike on India’s part, tunnels etc are further away & don’t show any damage.”
In addition to the impact site, the satellite images also showed repaired runways at the Sargodha airbase, further indicating damage sustained during the Indian strikes in May. The rapid repairs suggest the airbase was considered a high-priority strategic asset.
India had launched around 15 BrahMos missiles and other precision weapons on the night of May 9-10, targeting key Pakistani airbases. The operation, carried out by the IAF, damaged 11 out of Pakistan’s 13 major airbases, delivering a significant blow to the rival country’s air defence network and military infrastructure.
It was Symon who had earlier dismissed certain Pakistan media outlets’ claims that their military had targeted the Adampur airbase in Punjab allegedly damaging a Su-30MKI and destroying a Russia-developed S-400 air defence system. To dismiss these assertions, Symon had then provided imagery from March 2025, well before the conflict, which depicted a MiG-29 undergoing routine maintenance.
After the conflict ended, PM Narendra Modi went to the Adampur airbase and posed with security personnel with an S-400 missile defence battery in the background, debunking Pakistan’s claims.
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