By Agha Iqrar Haroon
The statement released by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu following the US–Israel joint attack on Iran resonated far beyond its intended audience, particularly in Pakistan.
Netanyahu declared:
“Our joint action will create the conditions for the brave Iranian people to take their destiny into their own hands. The time has come for all parts of the people of Iran — Persians, Kurds, Azerbaijanis, Baloch, and Ahwazi — to cast off the yoke of tyranny and bring about a free and peace-seeking Iran.”
This statement, explicitly naming Iran’s ethnic groups, was not merely rhetorical. It echoed a long-standing strategy of internal destabilization through ethnic fragmentation, a model previously applied elsewhere with devastating consequences. The conspiracy of creating a “Greater Balochistan” is not new and it an ingredient part of Indian as well as western strategy in the region for reshaping and remapping of region.
Around the same time, India’s news channel Republic TV aired remarks by a serving Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) officer, Steve Cohen, who made an extraordinary disclosure. He stated that the United States and Israel were acting against Iran not only on behalf of the West but also in coordination with India. Referring to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent visit to Israel, the officer remarked that Israel was pleased to host Modi, emphasizing that India and Israel share common visions for regional development.
These revelations were further compounded by intelligence reports indicating that four containers of military equipment had landed at Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan from India. According to intelligence sources, the cargo reportedly included high-tech surveillance systems, drones, quadcopters, and advanced electronic spying equipment. There is growing reason to believe that the Afghan Taliban regime, acting under the direction of its Indian and Israeli patrons, is allowing Afghan territory to be used as a forward operational base against Iran, and potentially Pakistan as well.
Strategic analysts have described Prime Minister Modi’s visit to Israel immediately preceding the US–Israel strikes on Iran, coupled with Afghanistan’s alleged intelligence facilitation, as “India’s and Afghanistan’s historic betrayal of Iran in the twenty-first century.”
Prime Minister Modi, amid intense media attention, visited Israel just days ago, making him the only Indian prime minister to have visited Israel twice. This visit was widely interpreted as an explicit show of support for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at a time when Israel continues military operations in Gaza while simultaneously preparing for confrontation with Iran.
During the visit, India and Israel signed multiple agreements expanding defense and intelligence cooperation. It is difficult to view it as coincidence that less than 24 hours after Modi returned to India, the United States and Israel launched coordinated strikes on Iran.
This was not the first instance of such alignment. In June 2025, during an earlier Israeli attack on Iran, India was accused of playing a similar role by providing human intelligence and material support through Afghanistan. At that time, Indian intelligence networks operating inside Iran under the cover of business and employment were reportedly activated to assist Israeli objectives.
Today, Iran faces a coordinated US–Israel assault while Israel, through its intelligence and proxy footprint, is effectively positioned along Iran’s eastern flank — in Afghanistan.
Pakistan, which shares borders with Iran, Afghanistan, and India, finds itself in an exceptionally precarious position. It is a weather-beaten ally of the United States and increasingly encircled by hostile actors. In recent months, Pakistan has already experienced war-like situations on both its eastern and western borders — with India and Afghanistan respectively.
Any overt military or strategic support by Pakistan for Iran against the United States could invite catastrophic consequences. Yet Islamabad also fears that it may itself become the next target. Netanyahu’s repeated references to a “free Balochistan” are deeply alarming, particularly given credible reports that since 2020 Israel has funded separatist narratives in Balochistan through multiple think tanks and non-governmental organizations.
There is now little doubt that Israel has activated two strategic proxies in South Asia to paralyze the region: India in the east and the Taliban regime in the west. This “double squeeze” functions as a mechanical trap — designed to neutralize Pakistan while Zionist forces strike Iran.
A review of the past 72 hours reveals a disturbing sequence:
- February 25–26: Prime Minister Modi pays a landmark visit to Israel, elevating bilateral relations to a “Special Strategic Partnership for Peace, Innovation, and Prosperity.”
- February 27: Militant activity and border tensions sharply escalate along Pakistan’s western frontier.
- February 28: The United States and Israel launch “Operation Roaring Lion,” targeting Tehran.
This timeline explains why Afghanistan initiated hostilities against Pakistan, forcing Islamabad into a full-scale border confrontation under Operation Ghazab-ul-Haq. The nexus of India, Israel, the United States, and Afghanistan effectively ensured that Pakistan, the world’s fifth-largest military and Iran’s most vocal regional supporter becomes preoccupied with internal security and border defence, limiting its ability to stand firmly with Tehran. One must recall June 2025, when Iranian security forces dismantled a network of Afghan nationals working for Israeli intelligence. They were apprehended with drone manuals and sabotage equipment. Unconfirmed but credible reports suggested that Pakistan assisted Iran in exposing this India-Israel–Afghanistan intelligence nexus and provided actionable intelligence indicating that Taliban foot soldiers were being hired by Mossad to destabilize Iran.
Israel targeted a Girl Elementary school in Iran and has k!lled 24 girls
What sort of cowards target girls in a school??#Israel #Iran #Tehran
— Tarun Gautam (@TARUNspeakss) February 28, 2026
Despite branding itself as an “Islamic Emirate,” the Taliban regime survives largely on development aid and diplomatic cover from the United States, New Delhi, and Israel, often channelled through Israeli NGOs operating in Afghanistan. The arrangement appears transactional: the nexus finances the regime, while the Taliban provide manpower and territorial access to distract Pakistan on its western flank and facilitate US–Israeli operations against Iran.
There is no doubt left that Israel had aimed to systematically weaken Iran; however, Pakistan emerged as a major impediment to that objective. During previous periods of heightened regional tensions, Pakistan’s diplomatic influence and military deterrence reportedly altered the strategic calculations of key actors. According to the narrative, the strategy was subsequently revised.
Following recent high-level discussions and closely coordinated strategic alignments between Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Israeli leadership during Modi’s visit to Israel, a new framework was allegedly finalized. Sources claim that kinetic strikes against Iran were approved only after a large-scale diversion was created elsewhere in the region.
Master Proxy
The reported strategy involved escalating tensions on the Afghan front by activating what has been described as a “master proxy” to entangle Pakistan, thereby limiting Islamabad’s capacity to respond diplomatically and militarily. Once Pakistan was preoccupied with multiple security challenges, attention was shifted toward Iran. Analysts describe the approach as involving different theatres but following a similar operational script.
Phase One: Indo-Israeli Distraction Targeting Pakistan
According to the assessment, isolating Iran required first constraining Pakistan. India’s objective of maintaining sustained pressure on Pakistan was seen as converging with Israel’s interest in weakening Iran’s regional support structure. In this context, the Afghan Taliban (TTA) were allegedly positioned as a large-scale proxy force.
After what is described as an Indo-Israeli consensus, the approximately 2,600-kilometre Durand Line reportedly witnessed a sharp escalation. Proxy groups allegedly carried out hundreds of mass-casualty attacks against Pakistani security forces. This surge in violence forced Pakistan to divert significant military resources and diplomatic focus toward its western border, limiting its ability to engage effectively in broader regional peace efforts. As a result, Pakistan was reportedly constrained, reducing Iran’s access to a key regional buffer.
Phase Two: Eastern Pressure on Iran
With Pakistan heavily engaged on its western frontier, the same proxy dynamics were allegedly redirected toward Iran’s roughly 900-kilometre eastern border. The Afghan Taliban are accused of exerting economic and geographic pressure on Iran through multiple means.
One such measure involved water resources. The TTA is alleged to have violated the 1973 Helmand River Treaty by sharply restricting Iran’s legally entitled share of 820 million cubic metres of water to about four percent, exacerbating instability in Iran’s Sistan-Baluchestan province and contributing to environmental degradation and social unrest.
In parallel, the porous border allegedly became a launchpad for armed Sunni militant groups, including Jaish al-Adl. These groups reportedly forced Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) to commit substantial manpower and resources to counter persistent militant activity. The terrorists are heavily armed, with access to an estimated $7 billion worth of leftover US military equipment, intensifying pressure on Iran’s eastern security apparatus.
What unfolds next remains uncertain. However, policymakers in Islamabad understand that Pakistan has limited room for maneuver. Emotional reactions could prove disastrous. Strategic clarity, calibrated decision-making, and regional foresight are no longer options — they are imperatives.
