In one of the gravest escalations between India and Pakistan in recent memory, both countries appeared perilously close to a full-scale war before an unexpected ceasefire agreement pulled them back from the edge.
For four days, missile strikes, drone attacks, and aerial dogfights pushed the region into a state of high alert, with fears mounting globally about the risks of a nuclear conflict. Now, newly emerged details have shed light on how intense behind-the-scenes diplomacy – led primarily by the United States and supported by China, Saudi Arabia and others – steered the two nuclear powers away from the brink.
