Pakistan pushes fake images to claim strikes in Amritsar during Op Sindoor, satellite visuals tell a different story

OSINT expert Damien Symon Symon shared a series of annotated satellite images to counter Pakistan's false narrative. (Image Source: X/Damien Symon)

Pakistan circulated misleading satellite images claiming strikes on Indian military sites in Amritsar after its 2025 defeat, but OSINT expert Damien Symon debunked the claims, showing no damage in verified images and exposing the disinformation attempt.

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In yet another desperate attempt to rewrite the record of its crushing defeat in the May 2025 conflict with India, Pakistan has resorted to disinformation by circulating misleading satellite images online. The images are being falsely projected as evidence of Pakistani strikes causing damage to Indian military facilities in Amritsar.

The claims have been firmly debunked by OSINT expert Damien Symon, who said independent verification shows no destruction at any of the locations being portrayed as targets, exposing the narrative as yet another manufactured attempt to salvage Pakistan’s credibility after its military setback.

Symon said, “Intentionally misleading images are now being circulated as evidence of Pakistani strikes at military facilities in Amritsar, Punjab, India. Verification confirms no such ‘destruction’ is visible at the alleged targets.”

Intentionally misleading images are now being circulated as evidence of Pakistani strikes at military facilities in Amritsar, Punjab, India - verification confirms no such "destruction" is visible at the alleged targets, below are some images correcting this disinformation pic.twitter.com/RYnr1ayxSn

— Damien Symon (@detresfa_) January 1, 2026

The images being shared online are either selectively cropped or mislabelled satellite visuals, while ignoring intact structures and unchanged layouts visible in verified imagery.

Symon shared a series of annotated satellite images to counter the false narrative. The visuals compared pre- and post-images of the same locations, clearly showing intact roofs, undamaged blast walls, standing antennae and unchanged vehicle sheds. According to his assessment, there were no signs of cratering, scorch marks or structural collapse that would normally follow a missile or drone strike.

The claims surfaced amid Pakistan’s attempts to revive debunked narratives around Operation Sindoor, an Indian counter-terror operation that targeted terror infrastructure in Pakistan-occupied territory earlier. Indian officials and analysts say Islamabad has repeatedly tried to distract from its own failures by floating exaggerated or fabricated claims of retaliatory strikes on Indian soil.

A few days ago, Pakistan publicly acknowledged the impact of India’s precision strikes carried out during Operation Sindoor in May, months after initially downplaying the damage. At a year-end press briefing on December 27, deputy Prime Minister and foreign minister Ishaq Dar confirmed that Indian drones had struck the Nur Khan Air Base in Rawalpindi’s Chaklala area, damaging the military facility and injuring personnel stationed there.

“They (India) send drones towards Pakistan. In 36 hours, at least 80 drones were sent... We were able to intercept 79 drones out of 80, and only one drone damaged a military installation and personnel were also injured in the attack,” Dar said.

Nur Khan, a crucial Pakistan Air Force base, figured among the 11 air bases targeted during Operation Sindoor. Other sites struck included facilities in Sargodha, Rafiqui, Jacobabad and Muridke. The operation was launched by the Indian Armed Forces in the early hours of May 7, starting with strikes on nine terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir before moving on to military infrastructure.

Notably, this is not the first time Pakistan has attempted to recycle false claims using doctored imagery. Similar assertions made earlier were also disproved using satellite data and on-ground verification. Indian authorities have maintained that no Pakistani strike caused damage to military assets in Amritsar or anywhere else in Punjab.

The latest episode fits into a familiar pattern of information warfare. By circulating misleading visuals, Pakistan appears to be targeting domestic audiences as well as international observers in an effort to project strength after suffering diplomatic and strategic setbacks. Analysts point out that the reliance on easily verifiable satellite images has made such disinformation campaigns increasingly ineffective.