At the Davos summit, Israel’s Economy Minister Nir Barkat warned that if Iran tries to attack Israel again, the response will be very strong. He said that Israel has targeted them before and hit them very hard and was very capable of doing it again with increased capacity.
This reflects how deep the tensions are between Iran and Israel right now. Iran and Israel are not direct neighbours, however they have always been against each other making it one of the biggest security flashpoints in the Middle East. Their conflict has been going on for decades because Iran supports armed groups like Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon, which Israel sees as direct threats to its security. Barkat accused Iran of being “the head of the evil axis,” saying it has “created thousands of ballistic missiles” and “put a target to destroy the state of Israel.”
This is part of a larger proxy conflict. Iran has long backed movements opposed to Israel, helping them with funding, weapons, and political support. Israel, on the other hand, sees this as an unacceptable threat and has launched strikes against Iranian targets to blunt their influence. Barkat framed Israel’s recent military response as having “dramatically crippled them hit them very hard and demonstrated that they’re not as big and strong as they thought,” he further said ”we’ll hit them harder seven times,” according to NDTV.
Israel does not accept Pakistan in Gaza peace plan
The Gaza situation is tightly linked to this conflict. Hamas, which controls Gaza, is backed by Iran, and Israel blames Iranian influence for continued violence. Israel has been pushing for new peace and stabilisation plans in Gaza. Barkat was clear about who Israel does not want involved. He said, “Any country that supported terror is not welcome and that includes Pakistan.”
Israel’s opposition to Pakistan’s role is rooted in long-standing geopolitical issues. Pakistan has never recognised Israel, strongly supports the Palestinian cause, and has repeatedly condemned Israeli military actions in Gaza and beyond. Islamabad has backed Iran politically at international forums and called for ceasefires, which Israel views as hostile. Israel’s ambassador also pointed to Pakistan’s alleged links between Hamas and terror groups based in Pakistan as a reason why Tel Aviv does not want Pakistani troops in Gaza.
Israel sees Iran as a major security threat and blames it for fuelling violence against it. At the same time, Pakistan’s political stance and perceived ties to militant groups make Israel unwilling to accept it in peacekeeping roles in Gaza, because Israel says it only works with countries it trusts.
