Overview
- Pakistan’s defence minister Khawaja Asif told Geo News on Saturday that Israel is an "illegitimate state" and urged Muslim countries to form a united military front against it.
- The call came a day after Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkey finalized a trilateral defence agreement that reportedly treats an attack on one signatory as an attack on all.
- Israeli officials issued sharp condemnations, with the Prime Minister’s Office and ministers saying Asif’s rhetoric and prior posts amounted to a call for Israel’s destruction.
- Asif earlier posted a now‑deleted social media message with explicitly antisemitic language, which Israeli leaders cited when rejecting his remarks and questioning Pakistan’s role as a mediator.
- Pakistan has no diplomatic ties with Israel and conditions recognition on a Palestinian state; the defence minister’s statements and the new pact raise diplomatic friction and could heighten regional security risks given Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal.