Defense Minister Cautions Pakistan Over Israel-India Military Ties
By Arshad Mehmood / The Media Line
Pakistan’s Defense Minister Khawaja Asif stated that Israel and India have maintained a long-standing military partnership against Pakistan, describing both countries as Islamabad’s enduring adversaries.
He said their defense cooperation has evolved over several decades and should not be seen as a recent development.
Asif made the comments in an interview with the Urdu edition of the British publication The Independent, days after former Israeli Air Force officers publicly disclosed details of Israel’s military assistance to India during the 1999 Kargil War.
In an exclusive interview with Indian broadcaster NDTV on July 26, former Israeli Air Force officers Ami, a former program manager at Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, and Shlomo, a former Mirage squadron commander, said Israel provided equipment and technical support to the Indian Air Force during Kargil War.
Ami said a defense project launched in 1996 was transformed into an emergency mission after the conflict erupted, prompting Israel to expedite the integration of Litening Targeting Pods and other systems on India’s Mirage 2000 fighter jets.
The two former officers said they were publicly discussing Israel’s role in the conflict for the first time.
Responding to the revelations, Asif said they confirmed that cooperation between India and Israel against Pakistan was not a recent development.
He said the disclosures by the former Israeli officials demonstrated that the two countries had long shared a common hostility toward Pakistan. “It existed before Kargil, continued throughout the conflict, and remains in place today,” he said.
He argued that “If you look at the international landscape today, both countries are isolated. India, too, is isolated and lacks direction on the global stage,” Asif said. “It has lost whatever limited international standing it once had. Pakistan occupies an important position internationally today, and this reflects an extraordinary achievement by our leadership.”
Asif has stirred controversy over harsh criticism of Israel. He posted on X on April 10: “Israel is evil and a curse for humanity.” He added, “I hope and pray people who created this cancerous state on Palestinian land… burn in hell.” The post was later deleted; however, it was denounced by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar.
Following the X post, Asif restated his stance in the Pakistani parliament, arguing that the Muslim world should recognize India and Israel as its “true and eternal enemies.”
During the brief conflict with India in May 2025, Pakistan also claimed that New Delhi had deployed Israeli-made drones.
In a statement issued at the time, the Pakistani military said India launched drone attacks on multiple Pakistani cities on May 8, 2025, using Harop loitering munitions. It said the drones were manufactured by Israel Aerospace Industries, an Israeli defense company.
Asif said Pakistan would need to remain mindful of the ongoing strategic cooperation between India and Israel, noting that the two countries were expected to continue coordinating on matters affecting Pakistan’s interests.
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