While the world is seeing encouraging progress toward peace through dialogue and diplomacy with significant efforts of Pakistan, some actors seem to be sowing doubt and creating divisions among those working for peace in an attempt to derail the process. Accusations on Pakistan from Israeli PM are very meaningful. Benjamin Netanyahu alleged that Pakistan-based entities operate “bot farms” and fake social media accounts to conduct a “shadow campaign” aimed at eroding US public support for Israel and breaking the US-Israel alliance. During a CBS News’ 60 Minutes interview, Netanyahu described this digital propaganda as a “hidden digital battlefield” (or “eighth front”) parallel to military operations.
Timing Matters: Why Now?
Pakistani mediation between the US and Iran has caused severe annoyance in Israel, leading to public rejections of Islamabad’s role. The tension stems from diplomatic snubs, conflicting geopolitical goals, and concerns over the narrative of the peace process. Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar and Israeli Envoy Reuven Azar openly declared that Pakistan is not a “credible player” or neutral host for regional peace. The accusations arise amidst declining global support for Israel’s military actions and decreasing confidence in Netanyahu’s leadership in the US, according to reports mentioning a recent Pew Research Centre survey showing that a majority of Americans under 50 have unfavorable views of his government. These claims are part of a broader discourse on digital warfare, where Israeli officials believe theirs, and specifically Netanyahu’s, reputation is being systematically damaged on platforms like X (formerly Twitter).
Targeted Propaganda Against Peace Efforts
Allegations from Israeli PM didn’t surface alone rather a targeted propaganda campaign aimed at disrupting Pakistan’s diplomatic mediation between the United States and Iran is built around specific narratives designed to destroy its neutrality and credibility as a peace broker.
The Nur Khan Airbase Strategic Fabrication
n Shielding Iranian Assets: A major, synchronized wave of disinformation-amplified by international outlets including CBS News- claimed that Pakistan secretly allowed Iranian military aircraft to shelter at Nur Khan Airbase to protect them from US and Israeli airstrikes.
n Sabotaging Neutrality: The campaign weaponized this claim to portray Pakistan as an active military accomplice to Tehran rather than an unbiased intermediary. This prompted immediate calls from pro-Israel US politicians, such as Senator Lindsey Graham, to demand a complete reevaluation of Islamabad’s mediator status.
n The Reality: Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs strongly rejected the reports as sensationalized, clarifying that the single Iranian aircraft present arrived legally during an active ceasefire period and carried absolutely no military linkage.
“Narrative Exaggeration” and Empty Diplomacy Claims
n Denying Substantive Progress: Parallel propaganda campaigns have continuously pushed reports suggesting that Pakistan’s back-channel efforts are entirely manufactured.
n Fabricating Isolation: Opposing regional actors have used digital spaces to assert that neither Washington nor Tehran recognizes Pakistan’s role, calling it a desperate attempt by Islamabad to manufacture geopolitical relevance amidst domestic instability. This directly contradicts verified reports of high-level US delegations visiting Islamabad for the talks. Sen Graham, close friend of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, during Senate hearing questioned Pakistan’s role as a mediator. Shortly after that, an unidentified traveling press reporter asked Trump whether he was reconsidering Pakistan as a mediator, in a clip shared by Aaron Rupar a prominent “clip journalists”.
Reuters reported, without any verified evidence, that Saudi Arabia launched numerous, unpublicized strikes on Iran in retaliation for attacks carried out in the kingdom during the Middle East.
What Lies Beneath the Propaganda?
Are these coincidence or cleverly orchestrated narratives by Pro-Israel war mongers? Is there any truth or just mere accelerating propaganda to destabilize world especially Middle East?
CBS is owned by Paramount, a Skydance Corporation, formed after the Skydance Paramount merger. The Ellison family and Red Bird Capital are the key investment/ control bloc. David Ellison (Larry Ellison’s son) is the CEO and has operational control after he bought the parent company that controls CBS in 2025. Larry Ellison helped finance that deal and is widely believed to have significant influence in CBS through his backing of David and the company. Larry Ellison’s connection to and support for Israel and its armed forces are well known and documented.
In 2017, Ellison donated $16.6 million to Friends of Israel Defense Forces, the largest single donation in that organization’s history at the time. This has made him one of the most prominent American private donors supporting Israeli military-linked institutions. Larry Ellison is widely reported to share a close personal relationship with Benjamin Netanyahu. Ellison offered Netanyahu a board position at Oracle in 2021, hosted Netanyahu and his family on his private Hawaiian island of Lanai and has also supported him politically, including lobbying on his behalf during legal proceedings.
Larry Ellison has maintained significant business interests in Israel through both personal investments and corporate expansion. In 1999, he invested tens of millions of dollars in Israeli biotech firm QBI Enterprises, reportedly expressing a desire to help build a major Israeli pharmaceutical company. Meanwhile, Oracle has steadily expanded its presence in Israel through research and development operations and the acquisition of Israeli technology firms over the years. In 2019, Ellison helped fund an archaeological project in East Jerusalem, which drew criticism from Palestinians and some archaeologists because of concerns it supported Israeli claims in contested territory.
Conclusion
The Riyadh-Islamabad-Ankara partnership has shown tangible results in mediation where the United Nations and the Security Council have not been able to deliver. When diplomatic efforts succeed, those who benefit from instability tend to react with urgency. Attempts to weaken this strategic coordination are likely to have the opposite effect, reinforcing it further.
There appear to be coordinated efforts by groups promoting conflict to disrupt ongoing peace initiatives led by Pakistan and other states through dialogue and diplomacy. Actors such as CBS, Lindsey Graham, Israel, and India seem more focused on prolonging conflict and regional instability to advance specific geopolitical aims than on supporting genuine de-escalation and reconciliation. One thing is more obvious that Pakistan is neither part of bloc politics nor fueling the conflict. As a matter of principle, Pakistan is leading the peace efforts.