Speaking at the Vivekananda Centre in New Delhi, General Chauhan explained that the strike occurred after the drone, which was likely an Israeli-designed Harop loitering munition, ran out of fuel while searching for Pakistani radars around Sargodha.

He said the Indian military had deployed several loitering munitions against targets in and around Sargodha and Kirana Hills before the strikes.

'It must have come and hit one of those hills'

"Bharti had rightly clarified that we did not target Kirana Hills," Chauhan said, referring to retired Air Marshal AK Bharti, who served as the IAF's Director General of Air Operations during Operation Sindoor.

Explaining the incident, Chauhan said the loitering ammunition had a limited flight time and was designed to search for targets before striking.

"It will loiter for about two hours and if it doesn't find a target, it will come and hit somewhere. It must have come and hit one of those hills," he said.

Kirana Hills, located around 10 km north of Sargodha, has long been associated with Pakistan's military infrastructure, making the revelation significant amid earlier speculation over whether India had deliberately targeted the area.

Skardu strike cleared, but weather forced change

Chauhan also revealed that the Indian Air Force had received clearance to strike Skardu in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir during the May 10 air campaign.

According to the former CDS, the Air Force chief had sought approval to strike Sargodha and identify two additional targets. Skardu was subsequently selected and cleared for an attack.

However, worsening weather conditions over Skardu forced the mission to be altered.

"We gave a yes, but after some time, the weather was bad in Skardu, and they had to change over to Bholari," Chauhan said.

Bholari strike became key image of Operation Sindoor

The IAF subsequently carried out an assault on a hangar at Bholari, an operation launched by the Gandhinagar-based South Western Air Command.

Satellite imagery released after the operation showed extensive damage to the hangar, including a large, jagged breach in its roof and a dark, collapsed section beneath it.

Wreckage was visible across the apron linking the hangar to the runway, suggesting that the blast propelled debris outward.

The damage appeared largely confined to the targeted structure, highlighting the precision of the strike.