Israel's Hexagon of Evil

Few days before the second American-Israeli attack on Iran, the Israeli leader, Benjamin Netanyahu, proposed a "Hexagon of Alliances" stretching from South Asia to the Middle East and the Eastern Mediterranean. It was no coincidence either that this announcement was made on the eve of Indian Prime Minister Modi's visit to Israel since these two countries are to be the anchors of this alliance, also involving Greece and Cyprus as well as unnamed "Arab and African countries". Its stated purpose would be to oppose "radical adversaries" in the "Shia Axis" and the "Sunni Axis". While the inference to Iran and its allies is clear, the Sunni states in Netanyahu's plan are most likely Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkiye - countries that have strongly opposed Israeli genocide in Gaza and Netanyahu's pursuit of a "Greater Israel" in the Middle East. As such, this alliance would be a hexagon of evil to target major Muslim countries and pursue Israeli and Indian expansionist ambitions. Eventually, this could lead to a nuclear showdown.

The ongoing aggression against Iran, in which Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei has been assassinated, is not just about regime change. It is really about sowing chaos and discord in the Middle East as well as undermining the very survival of Iran as a viable country before turning to the next target. Therefore, the real objective of Israeli Zionists like Netanyahu is a "Greater Israel" which has been pursued since 2002, when Netanyahu prevailed on successive American administrations to destroy Iraq, Libya, Syria, Sudan and Somalia. In all these cases, it has been the Israeli tail wagging the American dog. But Iran is more resilient.

Unfortunately, most Arab countries have been persuaded by their American friends over the years to view Iran rather than Israel as an existential threat, largely owing to the alleged Iranian pursuit of nuclear weapons which Israel already possess. This even enabled the American initiation of the Abraham Accords as a means for Israel to "normalise" relations with Arab/Muslim countries. However, the Israeli genocide in Gaza derailed this process, and subsequent Israeli attacks on Lebanon, Syria, Yemen and Qatar in 2025 underscored the real threat posed by Israel to the region.

One of the major outcomes was the accelerated conclusion of the Pak-Saudi defence pact. The other has been rapprochement between Saudi Arabia and Turkiye. Since both countries are closely allied to Pakistan, the only nuclear weapon state in the Muslim world, a formal or informal alliance between them would be a credible barrier to Israeli expansionism. Moreover, as members of Trump's Gaza Peace plan, these countries have insisted on implementation of Palestinian statehood as a vital condition for progress. This is obviously unpalatable for Israel.

Apart from continuing to sow differences between the Arab countries and Iran, especially in the Gulf, Netanyahu has aggressively promoted military cooperation with India to threaten Pakistan. The Indo-Israeli partnership is based on much more than mere promotion of bilateral relations. In fact, the rapport between Netanyahu and Modi is based on shared fascist ideologies - Zionism and Hindutva, both creeds involving proclaimed racial supremacy; invocation of victimhood; resort to genocide, ethnic cleansing and settler colonialism against Muslims behind the facade of countering terrorism; and the belligerent urge for territorial hegemony.

Modi's second visit to Israel recently has served to further reinforce this criminal enterprise by both countries. Based on the "Special Strategic Partnership for Peace", India is Israel's highest arms buyer, purchasing more than 20 billion dollars of weapons from 2020 to 2024 alone. In November last year, the two sides signed an MoU for Indian purchase of additional weapons worth nearly 10 billion dollars. These have included missiles, drones, unmanned aerial vehicles, airborne early warning systems and integrated aerial defence platforms. Following Modi's last visit, Israel will also share its Iron Dome missile defence system and the latest Iron Beam laser weapon technologies for the first time with any other country. Such cooperation would also include co-production of weapons and transfer of "innovative and groundbreaking Israeli technologies" aimed at deepening industrial defence partnerships. The two countries also signed agreements for cooperation in critical and emerging technologies including AI, Cyber Security, semi-conductors, quantum computing, biotechnology, critical minerals, civil nuclear energy and space exploration.

Both countries have also used their respective strategic partnerships with the US to project their power externally, seeking to fulfil their hegemonic ambitions. As America's Net Security Provider in the Asia Pacific to counter China, India has built up conventional and strategic capabilities to dominate South Asia and the Indian Ocean. Apart from antagonising neighbouring countries like Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal and Maldives, Modi's belligerent and reckless policies have led to crises with China and especially Pakistan - as in 2016, 2019 and 2025 - raising global concerns over nuclear escalation. Netanyahu's "Greater Isreal" project has led to aggression against Iran, apart from threating the entire Middle East. An additional layer of Indo-Israeli collaboration is the use of espionage and terrorism against adversaries and allies alike. A critical threat for Pakistan in this regard are the terrorist attacks from Afghanistan-based groups such as TTP and BLA.

It is against this backdrop that Netanyahu's "Hexagon of Alliances" has ominous implications. Ultimately, it is Pakistan's nuclear weapons capability that can credibly deter Indo-Israeli hegemony though Pakistan has repeatedly stated that its nuclear deterrence is India-specific. Yet, historically Israel has opposed Pakistan's nuclear weapons capability as a potential threat, unsuccessfully trying in the 1980s to attack these facilities in collaboration with India. More recently, Netanyahu has again expressed opposition to Pakistan's nuclear assets in a TV interview. However, Israel cannot afford to attack Pakistan's nuclear facilities as it has against Iran due to Pakistan's credible retaliatory capabilities.

This reality should be clear to Israel and its friends. Instead of pursuing their hexagon of evil, Israel and India should abandon their expansionist ambitions and pursuing the disastrous path of confrontation. Pakistan is quite capable of defending itself and its allies.