A high-ranking French intelligence official confirmed the loss of at least one Rafale to CNN, adding that French authorities are investigating whether additional Rafales were also lost.

Images circulating online show debris bearing markings of a French manufacturer, though experts have yet to definitively confirm the origin of the wreckage.

This marks the first time a Rafale, a sophisticated French-made warplane, has been downed in combat. While Pakistan earlier claimed to have shot down five Indian jets, including three Rafales, Indian officials have yet to release a full statement on the number of aircraft lost.