Lashkar-e-Taiba deputy chief Saifullah Kasuri has issued a fresh set of hardline remarks targeting Muslim countries considering normalisation with Israel, warning that any state or ruler accepting Israel would face “destruction” and “ruin”. The speech, circulated online and now drawing attention among regional security observers, comes at a sensitive time as discussions around the Abraham Accords, Gulf diplomacy and wider Middle East alignments continue to evolve amid the ongoing Iran conflict.
Kasuri, whom Indian intelligence agencies describe as an alleged mastermind behind the Pahalgam terror attack, used the address to reject the idea of recognising Israel under any circumstances and arguing Pakistan's case as a central military force within the Islamic world. “If they sign thinking we too should accept the Jews of Israel, even though that cannot happen, whoever does so, whether they are a ruler, a king, or anyone else, whoever accepts Israel will be destroyed, devastated, and ruined,” Kasuri said in the speech.
He further declared that the Muslim world would “never, under any circumstances” recognise Israel, while repeatedly using anti-Israel rhetoric throughout the address.
One of the most closely watched parts of Kasuri’s remarks involved his references to the Pakistan-Saudi defence pact signed in 2025. The Lashkar-e-Taiba leader attempted to frame the agreement as evidence of Pakistan moving strategically closer to Israel in military terms.
“The distance from Pakistan to Israel was 4,000 kilometres. Today, Pakistan, with all its power, technology, and resources capable of destroying the enemy, is present just 400 kilometres away from Israel,” he claimed.
Kasuri also described Pakistan as the “defense leader of the Islamic world” while referring to Saudi Arabia as its “spiritual and ideological leader”.
Indian intelligence officials monitoring the speech said the messaging appeared designed to fuse jihadist ideology with broader regional geopolitical developments surrounding Israel and the Abraham Accords. However, officials stressed that the Pakistan-Saudi security arrangement cited by Kasuri is not linked to any forward military posture targeting Israel.
“The agreement is focused on broader security cooperation, not offensive deployment purposes 400 kilometres from Israel,” top Indian intelligence sources said.
Kasuri’s comments surfaced shortly after Pakistan publicly rejected calls by US President Donald Trump for more Muslim-majority countries to join the Abraham Accords framework. Islamabad reiterated its longstanding position that recognition of Israel would only be possible after the establishment of an independent Palestinian state. Pakistan Defence Minister Khawaja Asif had also dismissed suggestions that the country would join any US-backed normalisation initiative involving Israel.
Lashkar-e-Taiba often attempt to exploit such diplomatic moments to reinforce ideological narratives and portray themselves as defenders of broader Islamic causes. Indian security agencies have increasingly warned about attempts by Pakistan-based terror organisations to blend regional politics, anti-Israel sentiment and Islamist mobilisation into a broader transnational messaging strategy.
Source: India Latest News, Breaking News Today, Top News Headlines | Times Now
