South Asia has entered its most dangerous chapter in decades after Pakistan’s prime minister took to national television to declare “open war” on Afghanistan’s Taliban rulers — just hours before Pakistani jets and missiles slammed into targets in and around Kabul.

Explosions lit up the night sky as strikes hit what Islamabad calls “terror infrastructure and command nodes” linked to militants behind a string of deadly attacks inside Pakistan. Afghan authorities say residential areas were also hit, reporting scores of casualties and vowing “massive retaliation” against Pakistani forces along the border.

Flanked by top generals, the Pakistani leader accused the Taliban of “harboring and arming enemies of the Pakistani state” and announced a full military mobilization along the Durand Line, including armor, artillery and special operations units. Kabul’s Taliban government responded with its own emergency address, branding Pakistan an “invader” and calling on Afghans to prepare for nationwide jihad.

The UN Security Council is rushing into emergency session as satellite imagery shows troop columns and rocket batteries moving toward key crossing points. China, the U.S. and Russia — all wary of a power vacuum in the region — are urging restraint while quietly securing their own embassies and evacuation routes.

Analysts warn that what began as deniable proxy fighting has now burst into the open: a direct state‑on‑state confrontation between two crisis‑scarred neighbors, with millions of civilians caught in the crosshairs.