PAKISTAN – The Pakistani Defense Minister Khawaja Asif said late Thursday that Israel was evil and a curse to humanity over its continued acts of genocide in Middle East.

“Israel is evil and a curse for humanity, while peace talks are underway in Islamabad, genocide is being committed in Lebanon,” Asif said on the US social media company X’s platform.

Innocent civilians were also being killed by Israel, he said, adding that “First Gaza, then Iran and now Lebanon, bloodletting continues unabated.”

Asif also said he hoped those who created Israel on Palestinian land “burn in hell.”

The post was later deleted after an outcry from Israel.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office on Thursday condemned Pakistan’s defense minister for describing Israel as “evil” and a “curse for humanity” in response to heavy Israeli bombardment on Wednesday which killed at least 256 people in Lebanon and injured hundreds more.

The remarks came as Israeli attacks on Lebanon intensified despite ongoing diplomatic efforts linked to a two-week ceasefire announced Tuesday by the US and Iran and brokered by Pakistan.

While Pakistani mediators and Tehran said the truce also covered Lebanon, Washington and Tel Aviv denied that.

The Israeli army has intensified attacks across Lebanon since Wednesday, killing at least 303 people and injuring 1,150 others, according to the Lebanese Civil Defense.

The expanded Israeli offensive on Lebanon since March 2 has killed 1,888 people and wounded 6,092 others, according to the Lebanese Health Ministry.