Jerusalem/Washington, May 12, 2026 – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has directly accused Pakistan of orchestrating social media campaigns aimed at eroding American public support for Israel and weakening the longstanding US-Israel alliance.
In a wide-ranging interview aired on CBS’s 60 Minutes on May 10, 2026, Netanyahu told correspondent Major Garrett that Israel is battling not only on multiple military fronts but also in an intense “information war” conducted through coordinated disinformation efforts.
“We have several countries that basically manipulated social media with bot farms with fake addresses, to break the American sympathy to Israel, to break the American-Israeli alliance,” Netanyahu said.
He singled out Pakistan with a specific example: “You hear a text message, ‘I’m a red-blooded Texan. I always supported Israel. But I can’t stand what they’re doing. I’m turning against Israel.’ And then you trace the address to some basement in Pakistan.”
Netanyahu described the phenomenon as part of a broader hybrid campaign, noting that while Israel is engaged militarily on “seven fronts,” it remains “completely exposed on the eighth front, the media war and really the social media war.”
The remarks come amid a documented decline in US public support for Israel, particularly among younger Americans, since the outbreak of the Gaza war and subsequent regional conflicts involving Hezbollah in Lebanon and tensions with Iran.
Pakistan has no diplomatic relations with Israel and has been a vocal critic of Israeli military operations in Gaza, the West Bank, and against Iranian targets. Islamabad has consistently supported Palestinian positions on international platforms and has positioned itself as an advocate for de-escalation in the broader Middle East crisis.
While Netanyahu referred to “several countries,” his highlighting of Pakistan underscores longstanding geopolitical friction between the two nations. Israel and Pakistan have had tense relations for decades, with Pakistan refusing to recognize Israel and frequently condemning its policies at the United Nations and Organization of Islamic Cooperation.
The Israeli Prime Minister’s comments have reignited debates over foreign influence operations on social media platforms. Similar allegations of state-linked bot farms and disinformation campaigns have been leveled against various actors in recent years, though specific evidence tying the Pakistani government directly to the cited operations was not presented in the interview.
Pakistani officials have not yet issued a detailed public response to Netanyahu’s latest remarks, though past patterns suggest Islamabad will reject the accusations as baseless and potentially counter with criticisms of Israeli policies.
The 60 Minutes segment has generated significant discussion online and in diplomatic circles, highlighting the growing intersection of traditional geopolitics and digital warfare in shaping international alliances. As social media continues to influence public opinion, accusations of foreign interference in domestic narratives are likely to remain a contentious feature of US-Israel-Pakistan dynamics.
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