New Delhi: Pakistan and Israel are trading barbs amid a fragile ceasefire brokered by the former between the US and Iran.
Pakistan Defence Minister Khawaja Asif Thursday termed Israel as “evil” and “a curse for humanity” and accused the country of committing genocide in Lebanon, prompting a backlash from Israel, following which he deleted his comments from X.
Pakistan is set to host high-stakes in-person talks between the US and Iran Friday to consolidate the two-week ceasefire.
“Israel is evil and a curse for humanity, while 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. I hope and pray people who created this cancerous state on Palestinian land to get rid of European jews burn in hell,” he wrote on X.
His comments prompted an immediate and forceful response from Israeli officials. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described Asif’s remarks as “outrageous” and said such statements “cannot be tolerated from any government, especially not from one that claims to be a neutral arbiter for peace”.
“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,” the PM’s office posted on X.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar labelled Asif’s remarks as “blatant antisemitic blood libels”, adding that Israel “will defend itself against terrorists who vow its destruction”.
“Israel views very gravely these blatant antisemitic blood libels from a government claiming to ‘mediate peace’. Calling the Jewish state ‘cancerous’ is effectively calling for its annihilation. Israel will defend itself against terrorists who vow its destruction,” he stated on X.
The exchange comes at a time when Pakistan is attempting to position itself as a host for peace negotiations in West Asia. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had earlier suggested that Lebanon was included in the ceasefire framework, a claim rejected by both US President Donald Trump and Netanyahu.
Netanyahu reiterated that there is “no ceasefire in Lebanon” and vowed that Israeli operations against Hezbollah would continue.
Israel bombarded Lebanon hours after the ceasefire was announced, killing hundreds of people. Lebanon’s Ministry of Health said at least 203 people were killed and 1,000 others wounded in air strikes that targeted areas in Beirut, Bekaa Valley, Mount Lebanon, Sidon, and several villages in southern Lebanon Wednesday. Earlier, the country’s Civil Defence had put the death toll at over 250.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian Thursday labelled Israeli aggression against Lebanon as “a flagrant violation of the initial ceasefire agreement and a dangerous indicator of deceit and lack of commitment to potential accords”.
“The continuation of these aggressions will render negotiations meaningless; our hands will remain on the trigger, and Iran will never abandon its Lebanese brothers and sisters,” he added in a statement on X.
(Edited by Nida Fatima Siddiqui)
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