JERUSALEM – A fake news story has touched off a tense Twitter confrontation between nuclear power Pakistan and Israel, which is widely believed to have a nuclear arsenal of its own.
In an apparent response to a story claiming Israel's former defense minister threatened a nuclear attack against Pakistan if it sends troops to Syria, Pakistan's Defense Minister Khawaja Mohammad Asif reminded Israel that "Pakistan is a nuclear state too."
Israel's Defense Ministry tweeted back Saturday, saying the original story on the site AWD News was "totally fictitious."
Israel maintains a policy of nuclear ambiguity, neither confirming nor denying the existence of an arsenal. Pakistan became a nuclear power in 1998. The countries have no diplomatic ties.
The episode underlines the potentially harmful impact of fake news stories in sensitive global affairs.
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