In a sharp and unprecedented escalation, Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif on Thursday called Israel “evil” and a “curse for humanity” for attacking Lebanon amid a US-Iran ceasefire, drawing a strong rebuttal from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
In a now-deleted post on X, Asif claimed that as “peace talks are underway in Islamabad, genocide is being committed in Lebanon”.
“Innocent citizens are being killed by Israel, first Gaza, then Iran and now Lebanon, bloodletting continues unabated,” he wrote.
“I hope and pray that the people who created this cancerous state on Palestinian land to get rid of European Jews [sic] burn in hell,” Asif added.
Netanyahu said that the Pakistan defence minister’s call for Israel’s annihilation is “outrageous”.
“This is not a statement that can be tolerated from any government, especially not from one that claims to be a neutral arbiter for peace,” his office posted on X.
Israel’s Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar also publicly rebuked Pakistan’s leadership, marking a rare direct diplomatic confrontation between two nations that do not maintain formal ties.
Sa’ar condemned what he described as “blatant antisemitic blood libels” and warned that labelling Israel as “cancerous” effectively calls for its destruction. He said that Israel would “defend itself against terrorists who vow its destruction”, underscoring the seriousness with which Tel Aviv views the rhetoric emanating from Islamabad.
The Israeli response follows a chain of developments beginning with Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry issuing a strong condemnation of Israeli military actions in Lebanon. This was followed by Khawaja Asif’s inflammatory remarks on social media.
Asif deleted his post after backlash from Israel.
The Israeli leader’s decision to respond publicly represents a notable departure from past practice, as Tel Aviv has historically avoided direct engagement with Pakistan in the absence of diplomatic relations.
Israel’s distrust of Pakistan’s role in any mediation effort has been articulated previously. Reuven Azar, Israel’s envoy to India, told NDTV Thursday that Israel does not consider Pakistan a credible intermediary in peace talks.
Israel-Lebanon Conflict
Lebanon was pulled into the Middle East war on March 2 when Iran-backed Hezbollah fired rockets towards Israeli cities to avenge the killing of supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed on the first day of war.
Israel’s heaviest strikes on Lebanon since Hezbollah entered the war killed hundreds on Wednesday, shaking the uneasy truce between Washington and Tehran less than 48 hours after it came into force.
