A day after Pakistan shepherded internal and foreign media to the site where Indian bombs dropped on February 26 in an air raid, Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman lauded the Indian Air Force for "flawless execution of the Balakot strikes and subsequent thwarting of the Pakistani response".

Sitharaman's appreciation came when she addressed the IAF commanders here at the bi-annual conference. She also praised the force for the successful conduct of exercises Gagan Shakti in 2018 and Vayu Shakti 2019, saying the performance during the drills was reflected in actual action in Balakot and the dogfight with Pakistan Air Force (PAF) a day after.