Web Desk: Covert alignment between Israel, India and Afghanistan’s Taliban authorities have surfaced as regional tensions intensify following recent cross-border violence and today’s US-Israeli strikes on Iran.
In June 2025, after Israeli strikes on Iran, Tehran publicly thanked Pakistan for its diplomatic support. Officials and commentators in Islamabad have since portrayed Pakistan and Iran as maintaining close, “brotherly” relations despite broader regional volatility.
However these ties have unsettled Israel and India. The two countries seek to weaken coordination between Islamabad and Tehran at a time of heightened confrontation in the Middle East.
According to Pakistani media reports, Israel decided weeks in advance to escalate military action against Iran. Commentators say that, to prevent any meaningful cooperation between Pakistan and Iran, Israel worked through India to leverage influence over Afghanistan’s Taliban authorities.
These voices claim the Taliban leadership could use militant proxies operating along the border to distract and pressure Pakistan. They argue that recent cross-border attacks on Feb. 26 and 27, which Pakistani officials say killed more than 150 militants, formed part of a broader strategy to entangle Islamabad in security crises along its western frontier.
Drawing Pakistan into sustained border tensions would create strategic space for further action against Tehran. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have not addressed these specific allegations. India has traditionally maintained diplomatic ties with Iran, while also strengthening relations with Israel in recent years.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Iran has a “legitimate right” to defend itself and vowed to deliver a decisive response. He warned that challenges to Iran’s sovereignty and national security would not go unanswered and added that Tehran could target U.S. facilities across the region, regardless of their location.
Moreover, he stressed that all options remain under consideration. Araghchi also accused Israel of fueling regional instability but said Iran would take all necessary measures to protect its security and national interests.
