ISLAMABAD, May 10, (AP): Pakistan’s foreign minister said Saturday his country would consider de-escalation if India stopped further attacks. This came after India said it was committed to non-escalation if Pakistan reciprocated. Both countries have traded strikes Saturday, the latest escalation in a conflict triggered by a massacre last month that India blames on Pakistan.

Ishaq Dar, the Pakistani foreign minister, still warned that if India launched any strikes, "our response will follow.” Dar told Pakistan’s Geo News that he also conveyed this message to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio when he contacted him after speaking to New Delhi two hours ago. "We responded because our patience had reached its limit.

If they stop here, we will also consider stopping,” he said. India said it targeted Pakistani military bases after Islamabad fired several high-speed missiles at multiple Indian air bases in the country’s Punjab state early Saturday. Pakistan earlier said it intercepted most missiles targeting three air bases and that retaliatory strikes on India were underway.

Rubio spoke to his Indian counterpart S. Jaishankar and emphasized that "both sides need to identify methods to de-escalate and re-establish direct communication to avoid miscalculation,” State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said in a statement Saturday, and offered US support to facilitate "productive discussion.”

Indian Col. Sofiya Qureshi, at a news conference in New Delhi, said Pakistan also targeted health facilities and schools at its three air bases in Indian-controlled Kashmir. "Befitting reply has been given to Pakistani actions,” she said. Wing Commander Vyomika Singh, also present at the news conference, said India was committed to "non-escalation" provided that Pakistan reciprocates.

However, Pakistani ground forces were observed mobilizing towards forward areas, she said, "indicating an offensive intent to further escalate the situation.” "Indian armed forces remain in a high state of operational readiness,” she added. Singh said Indian armed forces carried out "precision strikes only at identified military targets in response to Pakistani actions," which included technical infrastructure, command and control centres, radar sites and weapon storage areas to ensure "minimum collateral damage."