News / Pakistan

Fake story prompts Pakistani threat of nuclear strike against Israel

Monday, 26 December 2016 8:36 AM [ Last Update: Sunday, 01 January 2017 9:54 AM ]

Pakistani Defense Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif (C) (Photo by AFP)

A fake Israeli threat of a nuclear attack against Pakistan has elicited a tacit but real Pakistani threat of an atomic strike against Israel.

Pakistan and Israel, which have no diplomatic relations, engaged in a verbal give-and-take after a fake report claimed Tel Aviv had threatened Islamabad with a nuclear attack.

The fake new story, published on December 20, cited Israel's former minister of military affairs as threatening a nuclear attack against Pakistan if Islamabad sent troops to Syria. The fake story was headlined, “Israeli Defense Minister: If Pakistan send [sic] ground troops into Syria on any pretext, we will destroy this country with a nuclear attack.”

Pakistan’s Defense Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif, apparently taking the fake story for a real one, took to Twitter on Friday to respond, reminding Israel that Pakistan has its own arsenal of nuclear weapons.

“Israeli def min threatens nuclear retaliation presuming Pak role in Syria against Daesh. Israel forgets Pakistan is a nuclear state too,” read the tweet by the Pakistani defense minister.

Later, on Saturday, Israel’s ministry of military affairs posted a message on Twitter, saying the report had been “entirely false.”

Pakistan does not recognize Israel. But like the Tel Aviv regime, it has nuclear warheads and has not signed the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).

Press TV’s website can also be accessed at the following alternate addresses:

www.presstv.co.uk