🕵️ Fact check: Did Netanyahu say “Pakistan is the next target”?

Pro-Iran Pakistani media outlets, journalists, and influencers have been actively mobilizing public support in Pakistan for Iran in military confrontation against Israel.

🔶 Claim:

Pro-Iran Pakistani mainstream and social media accounts have circulated an old video clip of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, suggesting that he labeled Pakistan as the next target of Israel. The clip implies a direct threat against Pakistan.

✅ Fact:

Netanyahu has never directly threatened Pakistan. The clip being shared is taken out of context. In the original interview, Netanyahu was referring to the threat of a Taliban takeover in Pakistan, not the country itself.

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📺 What Did Netanyahu Actually Say?

In the original video, Netanyahu stated:

“The greatest mission that we have is to prevent a militant Islamic regime from meeting up with nuclear weapons or from nuclear weapons meeting up with a militant Islamic regime. The first is called Iran, the second is called Pakistan – or more specifically, a Taliban takeover of Pakistan. Because if these radical regimes have nuclear weapons, they will not obey the rules that have been obeyed in the last almost seven decades. And they can threaten our world. So the first thing is to stop them from getting nuclear weapons. That’s mission number one and mission number two is to find a substitute for oil. That would make our planet safe, that would make our planet clean. These are the two great missions for our generation and the next one.”

The key clarification – "a Taliban takeover of Pakistan" – is cut from the clips circulating online, which falsely gives the impression that Netanyahu views the Pakistani state itself as a threat.

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📌 Context Matters

• Netanyahu's statement was a general warning about nuclear proliferation and extremist regimes.

• His reference to Pakistan was conditioned on the scenario of a Taliban-style regime gaining control — not a direct accusation or threat toward Pakistan.

• The video is being misrepresented in some Pakistani media circles to stoke public outrage and anti-Israel sentiment, especially in the wake of increased regional tensions.

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📉 Conclusion:

The claim that Netanyahu threatened Pakistan directly is false and based on a misleadingly edited clip. His remarks focused on preventing extremist groups like the Taliban from gaining access to nuclear weapons, not on targeting Pakistan as a state.