‘Baseless characterisation’: FO rejects remarks by Israel’s ambassador to India

The Foreign Office (FO) on Thursday issued a statement rejecting the comments made by Israel’s ambassador to India, calling them a “baseless characterisation”. The FO statement referred to a video clip of the Israeli ambassador circulating on social media and said: “We firmly reject this baseless characterisation. The real record of aggression and rogue conduct is evident in the illegal occupation, the ongoing humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza, and the indictment of Israeli leadership in international courts. “Responsible states uphold international law — not deflect from it.”

While the statement did not specify which clip was being referred to, it was issued after a video of Israel’s ambassador to India, Reuven Azar, during an interview with Indian news anchor Arnab Goswami began circulating on social media. During the interview, Goswami asked Azar about a defence pact signed between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia — which was signed in September 2025 and states that “any aggression against either country shall be considered an act of aggression against both” — in the context of the ongoing US-Israel-Iran war. The war has also drawn in Gulf countries, including Saudi Arabia, with Iran targeting US assets and bases there in retaliation for US-Israeli attacks, which began on February 28. Responding to Goswami’s query, Azar said: “Pakistanis have been having relations with countries in the Arab world in the past, including with our enemies. This is something that we have been contemplating for a long period of time. I haven’t seen right now … the Pakistani army coming to the defence of Saudi Arabia against Iran.” The envoy then went on to allege, without taking any names, that “there is one rogue state that already has nuclear weapons. You don’t want to have a second one”.