Pakistan’s air defense system shot down an Indian drone early Thursday in the eastern city of Lahore, according to Pakistani officials, as India evacuated thousands of people from villages near the two countries' highly militarized frontier in the disputed region of Kashmir.

The attack follows a series of drone strikes by Pakistan in Rajasthan and other border areas, leading to heightened security alerts in India’s border regions.

Tensions between the nuclear-armed neighbors have soared since gunmen killed 26 people, mostly Indian Hindu tourists, in India-controlled Kashmir last month.