\n<\/p>\n
The Pakistani military accused India early Saturday of launching air-to-surface missiles that targeted at least three air bases across Pakistan, in what appeared to be a sharp escalation between the nuclear-armed neighbors four days into their armed confrontation.<\/p>\n
Among the bases that came under attack, Pakistan said, was a key installation near the capital, Islamabad. Eyewitnesses in Rawalpindi, a nearby garrison city, reported hearing at least three loud explosions near the Noor Khan air base, with one describing a \u201clarge fireball\u201d visible from miles away.<\/p>\n
\u201cNow, you just wait for our response,\u201d Lt. Gen. Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, the Pakistani military\u2019s chief spokesman, said in a televised statement. He accused India of pushing the region toward a \u201cdangerous war.\u201d<\/p>\n
Shortly after the reported Indian strikes, Pakistani officials said they had launched a retaliatory action targeting several locations in India, including air bases and a missile storage facility.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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.<\/p>\n
On Friday, Indian defense officials said Pakistan\u2019s military had attempted aerial intrusions in 36 locations with \u201c300 to 400\u201d drones to test India\u2019s air-defense system. <\/p>\n
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\u2019s main intelligence body. Pakistani officials also told U.S. officials that India was engaging in \u201cdrone terrorism\u201d by targeting civilian areas, according to a statement. India has not commented on the drones.<\/p>\n
Although many countries now have drones in their arsenals, this is the first time the unmanned aerial vehicles are being used by the two countries against each other. The use of drone warfare may have been inevitable, but it could reshape the way the world views hostilities between India and Pakistan, much as it did after the two countries became nuclear powers in the 1990s.<\/p>\n
The conflict began after militants killed 26 people last month<\/a> in India-controlled Kashmir. India accused Pakistan of being behind the attack and vowed to take military action. Pakistan has denied involvement.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n The conflict has escalated since Wednesday, when India conducted airstrikes on Pakistan. Since then, the two countries have been locked in an intensifying exchange of gunfire, drone attacks, claims, counterclaims and misinformation.<\/p>\n