(MENAFN) Prime Minister Narendra Modi declared on Friday that India will not “tolerate nuclear threats” and reaffirmed that the country makes “no distinction between terrorists and their supporters.” His remarks came during a nationally televised address marking the 79th Independence Day celebrations at the Red Fort in New Delhi.

Modi used the occasion to announce Sudarshan Chakra, a new air defense program that India expects to bring into service within the next decade.

The prime minister also referred to the devastation caused by Operation Sindoor, describing Pakistan’s losses as “so massive that new revelations are being made every day.” The military campaign, launched in May, involved Indian missile strikes across the border in retaliation for the April 22 attack on a tourist resort in Pahalgam, located in Indian-administered Kashmir.

The confrontation escalated when Pakistan responded with counterstrikes, resulting in four days of clashes until a ceasefire was announced on May 10 by US President Donald Trump.

Modi emphasized India’s hardened stance against militancy, declaring, “Our country has faced terrorism for decades. We have now established a new normal. Terrorists and those who harbor terrorism will not be differentiated, and they are equal enemies of humanity.” He further warned that “in (the) future, if our enemies persist in such attempts, our armed forces will respond, on their own terms, at a time of their choosing.”

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