French Navy slams Pakistan media report over Op Sindoor claims: ‘Extensive misinformation’ | India News
The French Navy has strongly condemned a Pakistan-based media outlet for spreading “misinformation and disinformation” regarding India’s Operation Sindoor against Islamabad-backed terrorists.
Indian Air Force aircraft Rafale performs during 93rd Indian Airforce Day celebration in Guwahati on Nov. 9, 2025.(AP)
According to news agency ANI, Pakistan’s Geo TV published on its website an article on November 21 claiming that a French naval commander had confirmed “Pakistan’s air superiority” and that Indian jets were shot down during the border skirmishes in May, following the Pahalgam terror strike in which 26 people were killed.
In a post on X, the French Navy said that the article contains “extensive misinformation and disinformation” and added that the report not only misquoted French officers but even published the wrong name, referring to the officer as “Jacques Launay” instead of Captain Yvan Launay.
“These statements were attributed to Captain Launay, who never gave his consent for any form of publication. The article contains extensive misinformation and disinformation,” it said.
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The Navy highlighted that Captain Launay’s role is limited to commanding the naval air station at Landivisiau, where Rafale Marine aircraft are stationed, contrary to the Pakistani portrayal of him as a senior operational authority involved in the India-Pakistan conflict.
“When asked the question about operation SINDOOR, he neither confirmed nor denied that Indian aircrafts had been shot down. He refused to comment on possible jamming of the Indian Rafale by Chinese systems,” the Navy clarified.
The Navy also clarified that he never referenced the Chinese J-10, contradicting the claims made by Pakistani media.
BJP leader Amit Malviya described the incident as proof of Pakistan’s “desperate misinformation machinery.”
“The French Navy has called out Pakistan’s Geo TV and its correspondent Hamid Mir for spreading “misinformation and disinformation.” In his report, Hamid Mir peddled the same old, fabricated claims about Rafales and the so-called May conflict and has now been publicly exposed. When official institutions start debunking their propaganda, you know how desperate Pakistan’s misinformation machinery has become,” he wrote on X.
Operation Sindoor
India launched Operation Sindoor in May, which marked New Delhi’s direct military response to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack in which 26 people were killed.
India launched the operation in the early hours of May 7 and struck terror and military installations in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) before the ceasefire on May 10. The clash involved fighter jets, missiles, armed drones, and a fierce artillery duel.
Between the launch of the operation and the ceasefire on May 10 evening, Indian forces bombed nine terror camps in Pakistan and PoK, killing at least 100 terrorists, and the IAF struck targets at 13 Pakistani airbases and military installations.
Earlier in October, Air Chief Marshal AP Singh said Pakistan lost as many as 12 to 13 aircraft, including fighter jets such as US-made F-16s and Chinese-origin JF-17s, to the IAF’s precision strikes on ground and in the air during Operation Sindoor.
At his annual press conference on October 3, he said there were “signs” that India destroyed 6-7 aircraft in its ground strikes on Pakistan airfields and another six jets in the air. He also dismissed Islamabad’s claims of downing Indian jets as “fanciful tales” aimed at delivering a message to its domestic audience.
