The Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) on Saturday issued an apology after facing heavy backlash in India over a map it had released that inaccurately depicted Jammu & Kashmir as part of Pakistan and the Northeast region as part of Nepal, reported India Today.
The map, published by the IDF on Friday in a social media post illustrating the reach of Iranian missiles, showed several geographical inaccuracies. The post stated, “Iran is a global threat” and warned that “Israel is not the end goal, it’s only the beginning”. It further justified Israel’s latest military offensive against Iran, saying, “We had no other choice but to act.”
However, what caught the attention of many in India was the erroneous representation of the country’s territory. The map showed Jammu and Kashmir outside of India’s boundary and the Northeast as part of Nepal, sparking immediate outrage online.
In response to a post on X (formerly Twitter) that flagged the inaccuracies, the Israeli Defence Forces acknowledged the mistake, stating, “This post is an illustration of the region.
This map fails to precisely depict borders. We apologise for any offence caused by this image.”
The controversial map was released against the backdrop of rapidly intensifying hostilities between Israel and Iran. On Friday, Israel launched large-scale airstrikes on Tehran, claiming the attacks were aimed at dismantling Iran’s nuclear enrichment programme. The strikes reportedly killed several top Iranian commanders and over 70 others, destroyed critical infrastructure, and left many injured.
Iran retaliated with a barrage of missiles and drones targeting major Israeli cities including Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. The exchange of fire continued into Saturday, with both sides launching fresh rounds of attacks, escalating tensions in the region.
(With inputs from India Today)