The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Friday dismissed as ‘fake news’ a viral claim that India had approached Israel to sign a defence pact in response to the recently announced Pakistan-Saudi Arabia-Turkey security agreement.
The claim was circulated by Turkish media outlet Straturka and amplified on social media. Citing unnamed Pakistani sources, the report alleged that India had requested Israel to enter into a defence pact to counter the trilateral agreement.
Fact-checking the claim, the MEA's Fact Check division shared a screenshot of the report and labelled it ‘fake news.’
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"We caution against such malicious posts on social media platforms which use AI to create fake content!" the MEA Fact Check wing said in a post on X.
Saudi, Pakistan, Turkey sign defence deal
The clarification comes hours after Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkey signed the "Mecca Joint Defence Agreement", a strategic pact aimed at boosting military cooperation and collective security among the three countries.
{{/usCountry}}The clarification comes hours after Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkey signed the "Mecca Joint Defence Agreement", a strategic pact aimed at boosting military cooperation and collective security among the three countries.
{{/usCountry}}According to Pakistan's foreign ministry, the agreement is intended to strengthen collective deterrence and states that "any armed attack against any one of the three States shall be regarded as an attack against them all." The pact also envisages deeper defence cooperation across multiple sectors.
Also Read | India reacts to Turkey-Pakistan-Saudi defence deal: 'Closely following the development'
Responding to the development earlier on Friday, the MEA said India was monitoring the agreement closely.
Addressing a weekly media briefing, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said, "This is also a development that we are closely following, and we shall keep you updated."
Netanyahu dials PM Modi
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu spoke over the phone on Thursday, discussing ways to further strengthen the India-Israel Special Strategic Partnership and reviewing cooperation across a range of sectors.
Speaking at the MEA's weekly media briefing on Friday, spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said the call was initiated by the Israeli side. "During the conversation, it was discussed as to how we can further strengthen this bond, this friendship that we have with Israel across various sectors," Jaiswal said, underscoring the strong bilateral relationship between the two countries.