Among them is Pakistan’s assertion that it shot down five Indian fighter jets on May 7, the first day of fighting, in response to Indian attacks on its territory. As a battle of narratives takes over from the actual fighting, Al Jazeera takes stock of what we know about that claim, and why, if true, it matters.

A low-quality image of an Indian fighter jet engulfed in flames after crashing in September 2024 has been falsely claimed online to show an Indian jet downed amid escalated tensions between India and Pakistan in May 2025.

As impressive as the Rafale’s maneuverability is, maneuverability doesn’t count for much in the BVR (beyond-visual-range) dogfighting conditions that comprised the dogfight between India and Pakistan.