The military conflict between India and Pakistan hit a sharply higher level of intensity early Saturday as the Pakistani military accused India of attacking at least three of its air bases, and then reported that it had retaliated by targeting Indian air bases and a missile storage site.

       The reported exchange of strikes was a significant escalation between the nuclear-armed neighbors four days into an armed confrontation that began on Wednesday.

       Pakistan said India had targeted its bases with air-to-surface missiles. Among the bases that came under attack, Pakistan said, was a key installation near the capital, Islamabad. Witnesses in Rawalpindi, a nearby garrison city, reported hearing at least three loud explosions near the Noor Khan air base, with one describing a “large fireball” visible from miles away.

       “Now, you just wait for our response,” Lt. Gen. Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, the Pakistani military’s chief spokesman, said in a televised statement. He accused India of pushing the region toward a “dangerous war.”

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       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.

       “An eye for an eye,” the Pakistani military said in a statement. It said it was calling its campaign against India “Operation Bunyan al-Marsus,” which means a firm and compact structure.

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