- Pak's Khawaja Asif called Israel "evil" and a "curse for humanity", drawing a sharp response from Netanyahu
- Asif said he hoped people would get rid of this "cancerous state". "Burn in hell," he wrote on X
- Netanyahu said that the Pakistan defence minister's call for Israel's annihilation is "outrageous"
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.
Israel attacked Lebanon on Wednesday
Photo Credit: Reuters
Netanyahu has said that Israel supported US President Donald Trump's decision to suspend attacks against Iran for two weeks but said the ceasefire does not include Lebanon, contradicting an announcement by Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
Sharif, who has acted as a mediator in the war in the Middle East, had said that the ceasefire agreed to by the US, Iran and their allies extended "everywhere", including Lebanon.
While Iran backed Sharif's claim, Trump and US Vice President JD Vance, who is tasked with leading Iran peace talks, said that Lebanon was not part of the ceasefire deal.
Meanwhile, Netanyahu on Thursday ordered his ministers to seek direct talks with Lebanon focused on disarming Hezbollah. Israel and Lebanon will hold talks in Washington next week, a State Department official has said.
Iran Likely To Suspended Peace Talks With US In Pak
Adding another layer to the unfolding situation, Iranian media reported that Tehran may suspend Saturday's dialogue in Islamabad with the United States unless Israel halts its military operations in Lebanon.
This development raises concerns about the potential derailment of diplomatic efforts aimed at de-escalating tensions in the Middle East.
The US and Iran agreed to a two-week ceasefire on Tuesday about an hour before Donald Trump's deadline to "obliterate" the rival country was set to expire. The 11th-hour agreement came after Trump said he had spoken to Shehbaz Sharif and Pakistani Army Chief Asim Munir, who had requested a truce.
Sharif said Pakistani capital Islamabad would welcome delegates from both countries for negotiations aimed at reaching a "conclusive agreement" on April 10. The talks were then postponed by a day.
Tehran said it had agreed to talks with Washington in Pakistan on a path to end the conflict, which broke out on February 28 when the US and Israel conducted joint strikes on Iran.
