The Israeli government has issued a sharp rebuke to Pakistan’s Defence Minister, Khawaja Asif, following a series of inflammatory comments that have cast a shadow over ongoing diplomatic efforts. 

On Thursday, the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office formally objected to Asif’s statements, questioning Pakistan’s ability to remain a neutral mediator in the sensitive negotiations currently taking place between the United States and Iran.

In a strongly worded statement, Tel Aviv described the Defence Minister’s call for the annihilation of the Israeli state as "outrageous."

The Prime Minister’s Office emphasized that such rhetoric is intolerable from any government, particularly one that has positioned itself as a neutral arbiter for regional peace. The rebuke highlights a deepening rift between the two nations at a critical juncture for Middle Eastern stability.

The diplomatic spat was triggered by a post on X, formerly Twitter, in which Khawaja Asif labelled Israel as "evil" and a "curse for humanity." He accused the country of committing "genocide" in Lebanon even as peace negotiations were being prepared in Islamabad. Asif’s post listed a sequence of military actions in Gaza, Iran, and Lebanon, describing the ongoing violence as unabated bloodletting.

The Defence Minister’s social media post went further, expressing a hope that those who established the state on Palestinian land would "burn in hell." These comments have placed the already fragile ceasefire at significant risk, creating a hostile atmosphere before the formal commencement of negotiations in the Pakistani capital.

This controversy follows a period of diplomatic confusion involving Pakistan’s Prime Minister, Shehbaz Sharif. The Prime Minister had previously claimed that Lebanon was included in the terms of a two-week ceasefire deal.

However, these assertions were promptly and firmly dismissed by both US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, leading to further international embarrassment for Islamabad.

Amidst the diplomatic fallout, Prime Minister Netanyahu has reaffirmed Israel's military stance, stating categorically that there is no ceasefire currently in effect regarding Lebanon. He vowed that military operations against Hezbollah would continue with "full force" until security is restored, signals that suggest the conflict may intensify despite the planned talks in Islamabad.

ANI