Pakistan minister threatens Israel after reading fake news
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan's defence minister has threatened to retaliate in kind to any Israeli nuclear strike after being tricked by a fake news site into a confrontation on social media.
Khawaja Asif responded to an invented story published on the website AWDNews headlined "Israeli Defense Minister: If Pakistan send ground troops into Syria on any pretext, we will destroy this country with a nuclear attack".
TWEETS
The Pakistani minister tweeted on Friday: "Israeli def min threatens nuclear retaliation presuming pak role in Syria against Daesh (Islamic State).Israel forgets Pakistan is a Nuclear state too."
His missive prompted a clarification from Israel's Ministry of Defense, which responded to him on Saturday: "@KhawajaMAsif The statement attributed to fmr Def Min Yaalon re Pakistan was never said," adding: "KhawajaMAsif reports referred to by the Pakistani Def Min are entirely false".
Israel has a policy of ambiguity about its nuclear arsenal, neither confirming nor denying its existence.
Pakistan, which conducted its first nuclear test in 1998, is believed to have around 120 nuclear weapons and the fastest growing stockpile.
Mainly Muslim Pakistan has no diplomatic ties with Israel.
Asif was widely mocked for his blunder.
Prominent television journalist Nusrat Javeed said: "Our nuclear programme is too serious a business to be left to Twitter-addicted politicians."
There is a rising tide of fake articles being widely shared on social media. - AFP
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