Israel 'evil and a curse for humanity', says Pakistan's Defence Minister, later deletes tweet, Netanyahu's team responds

Israel has responded with fury to Pakistan Defence Minister Khawaja Asif's now deleted tweet, denouncing Islamabad's mediation pitch and vowing to defend itself against "terrorists" who want Tel Aviv's destruction.

In a strong-worded response, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar rebuked Pakistan over its Defence Minister's statement, calling jewish state "cancerous", which Sa'ar said is "calling for Israel's annihilation."

You may follow our live coverage of the West Asia war here


"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," Sa'ar said in a post on X.

This comes after Khawaja Asif, in a post on X, called Israel "evil and a curse for humanity" accusing it of committing "genocide" in Lebanon while peace negotiations are underway. The tweet has now been deleted.

"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," he said.

"I hope and pray people who created this cancerous state on Palestinian land to get rid of European jews burn in hell," he added.

The Pakistan Defence Minister's statement has put the fragile ceasefire at more risk, even before the commencement of the negotiations in Islamabad.

Also read: Only 10 vessels cross Strait of Hormuz since US-Iran truce as world’s oil lifeline remains frozen

This adds more embarrassment after Pakistan's fumble in clearly defining the terms of the two-week ceasefire. Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif had claimed that Lebanon was also a part of the peace deal--a claim firmly dismissed by both US President Donald Trump and Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu.

Meanwhile, Netanyahu again asserted that there is "no ceasefire in Lebanon" and vowed to continue military operations with "full force" against Hezbollah.

"I wish to inform you: There is no ceasefire in Lebanon. We are continuing to strike Hezbollah with full force, and we will not stop until we restore your security," he said.