The military conflict between India and Pakistan escalated dramatically early Saturday, when the Pakistani military accused India of attacking at least three of its air bases and then stated that it had retaliated by targeting Indian air bases and a missile storage facility.
The alleged exchange of strikes marked a substantial escalation between the nuclear-armed rivals four days into an armed standoff that began on Wednesday.
Pakistan claimed that India had attacked its sites with air-to-surface missiles.
Pakistan claimed that one of the bases targeted was a strategic installation near the capital, Islamabad.
Witnesses in Rawalpindi, a nearby garrison city, reported hearing at least three powerful explosions near the Noor Khan air base, with one describing a “large fireball” visible for kilometres.
Shortly after the reported Indian strikes, Pakistani officials said they had launched a retaliatory action using short-range surface-to-surface missiles, targeting several locations in India that included the Udhampur and Pathankot air bases and a missile storage facility.
Local media also reported early Saturday that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had summoned a meeting of the National Command Authority, the nerve centre of Pakistan’s nuclear command and strategic deterrence policy.
Established in 2000, the body is chaired by the prime minister and includes senior civilian ministers and military chiefs.
After several days of shelling and drone attacks, India and Pakistan, old enemies, are engaged in their most expansive military conflict in decades. And they are using new tools of war to enhance their ability to attack and spy on each other.
On Friday, Indian defence officials said Pakistan’s military had attempted aerial intrusions in 36 locations with “300 to 400” drones to test India’s air-defence system.
A day earlier, Pakistani military officials said they had shot down 25 drones belonging to India, including in Karachi and Rawalpindi, the headquarters of Pakistan’s main intelligence body.
