The critical eight-hour window also saw Indian missile barrages on three major Pakistani air bases and other facilities, including Nur Khan, which is ringed by civilian homes like Subhan's, and just a 20-minute drive to the capital, Islamabad.

After the initial blast, Subhan and his wife grabbed their three children and ran out of their home. "We were just figuring out what had happened when there was another explosion," said the retired government employee, who remembered the precise time of the strike because he was just about to make a call.

This account of Saturday's events - which began with the looming specter of a full-blown war and ended with an evening cease-fire announcement by U.S. President Donald Trump - is based on interviews with 14 people, including U.S., Indian and Pakistani officials, as well as Reuters' review of public statements from the three capitals.

They described the rapid escalation of hostilities as well as behind-the-scenes diplomacy involving the U.S., India and Pakistan, and underscore the key role played by Washington in brokering peace.

The attack on Nur Khan air base saw at least two missile strikes as well as drone attacks, according to Subhan and two Pakistani security officials, who like some of the people interviewed by Reuters, spoke on condition of anonymity.

The barrage took out two roofs and hit the hangar of a refuelling plane, which was airborne at the time, according to one of the officials, who visited the base the next day.

A senior Indian military officer, however, told reporters on Sunday that an operations command center at Nur Khan had been hit.

"The attack on Nur Khan ... close to our capital, that left us with no option but to retaliate," Pakistan Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar told Reuters.

Nur Khan is located just over a mile from the military-run body responsible for Pakistan's nuclear planning.

So, an attack on the facility may have been perceived as more dangerous than India intended - and the two sides should not conclude that it is possible to have a conflict without it going nuclear, said Christopher Clary, an associate professor at the University at Albany in New York.

"If you are playing Russian roulette and pull the trigger, the lesson isn't that you should pull the trigger again," said Clary.

India's defense and foreign ministries, as well as Pakistan's military and its foreign ministry, did not immediately respond to written questions submitted by Reuters.

A U.S. State Department spokesperson did not directly respond to questions from Reuters about the American role, but said that further military escalation posed a serious threat to regional stability.