The Pakistani military on Friday warned that it could strike back at U.S. soldiers if they conducted cross-border raids from Afghanistan, escalating the tension between the allies as U.S. missiles again pounded suspected militant hideouts.

A statement issued Friday by the Pakistani military at the end of a two-day meeting said the government and military agreed on the need to defend the nation. “Pakistani troops on the spot will retaliate for any actions across the border,” Maj. Gen. Athar Abbas, chief military spokesman, said. He didn’t provide details of possible actions, but the orders raised the prospect of the two allies shooting at each other even as they both increase the targeting of militants.

The Pakistani stance comes after it was revealed earlier this week that U.S. President George W. Bush approved secret orders in July clearing the way for Special Operations forces to conduct ground assaults in Pakistan without that government’s permission. U.S. commandos backed by a helicopter gunship recently raided a village in Pakistan’s border region, prompting a furious reaction in Pakistan.

But the substance of Pakistan’s threat will be fully known only if U.S. and Pakistani troops encounter each other on a combat mission. And Pakistan’s repeated, escalating rhetoric underscores how seriously it takes the issue. Earlier this week, Pakistan’s army chief, Gen. Ashfaq Kayani, warned that U.S. incursions into Pakistan wouldn’t be tolerated and that Pakistani forces would defend national sovereignty at all costs. “There is no question of any agreement or understanding with the coalition forces allowing them to strike inside Pakistan,” he said.