Pakistan's Defense Minister Khawaja Asif called Israel an 'illegitimate' state and urged Muslim nations to form a 'united military front' against the Jewish state, according to the Times of India. The remarks come amid the newly signed tripartite defense pact between Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey.
A new report from the Times of India, published Saturday afternoon, adds a more explicit military dimension to Pakistan Defense Minister Khawaja Asif's remarks, quoting him as calling for a 'united military front' against Israel and directly linking the call to the recently signed tripartite defense pact between Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Pakistan.
Earlier on Saturday, at 07:58 Jerusalem, The Zioneer reported that Asif, in an interview with Geo News, had called Israel an 'illegitimate state' and a product of the Balfour Declaration, and urged Muslim countries to unite against the Jewish state. That statement itself expanded on a preliminary report by ynet first carried by The Zioneer at the same hour. The Times of India dispatch thus represents a third escalation in the minister's rhetoric within a single day, moving from a general call for unity to a specific military framework.
As The Zioneer reported on Friday, the tripartite pact has drawn concern from the Iran-led Axis of Resistance, which views the agreement as directed against Tehran. The pact also presents a strategic challenge for Israel, which must navigate deepening ties with India while the Muslim world consolidates. Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan, in an interview published Thursday, acknowledged Israel's place in the region but cautioned that a military-only approach to regional challenges would fail.
It remains unclear whether the minister's call for a 'united military front' reflects official policy of the tripartite signatories or is his personal position. The pact's declared purpose is to counter Iranian influence, and the extent to which Saudi Arabia and Turkey would endorse explicit military action against Israel—a state Riyadh has previously recognized as part of the region—is unverified.
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