Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif triggered a major diplomatic storm after calling Israel "evil", a "curse for humanity", and a "cancerous state" in a now-deleted social media post. The remarks came during fragile US-Iran ceasefire talks and while Pakistan projected itself as a mediator in West Asia. Israel reacted sharply, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu calling the statement outrageous and unacceptable. Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar accused Pakistan of using antisemitic rhetoric and questioned Islamabad’s credibility as a neutral peace broker.