In an unprecedented move, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) issued a public apology on Friday after sharing an inaccurate map of India’s international boundaries, which wrongly depicted Jammu and Kashmir as part of Pakistan. The controversial image was included in a post on X (formerly Twitter) and sparked immediate backlash from Indian users, some of whom also tagged Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in their responses.
Responding to the criticism, the IDF acknowledged the error and said: “This post is an illustration of the region. This map fails to precisely depict borders. We apologise for any offense caused.”
The statement was posted approximately 90 minutes after the original tweet and appeared as a direct reply to a complaint by a user representing the "Indian Right Wing Community" account.
The original tweet, which caused the diplomatic furore, was posted late Friday evening. It contained a graphic showing concentric red circles emanating from Iran and shading large parts of West Asia, northern Africa, Europe and Asia, including India, China, Saudi Arabia, Libya, Ethiopia, Romania, Bulgaria, Kazakhstan, Turkey, and Russia. The visual was intended to depict the alleged missile range of Iran, as part of Israel’s broader messaging that Tehran posed a global threat.
“Iran is a global threat. Israel is not the end goal, it's only the beginning. We had no other choice but to act,” the IDF stated in the tweet.
The map's depiction of India's borders — with Jammu and Kashmir incorrectly marked as not being part of India — drew particularly sharp criticism from Indian users, given the sensitive and long-standing territorial issues in the region.
One user wrote: “Now you understand why India remains neutral. In diplomacy, no one's really your friend.”
Another user addressed Israel directly and demanded: “Delete it, correct it, repost it.”
A separate response noted: “You’re insulting the sacrifice of Indian soldiers who died to preserve India’s territorial integrity.”
Meanwhile, the Indian government had not issued an official response to the IDF’s post or its apology yet.
India has consistently maintained that Jammu and Kashmir, along with Ladakh, are integral parts of the country, despite illegal occupations by Pakistan and China in certain regions. That position was reiterated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in May, following the Pahalgam terror attack and the launch of Operation Sindoor.
The map’s appearance came as a shock to many, especially considering the strengthening of ties between India and Israel over the past several years. In 2017, Narendra Modi became the first Indian prime minister to visit Israel, marking a significant diplomatic milestone. Today, Delhi is one of Tel Aviv’s largest trading partners, ranking behind only the United States, the United Kingdom, Hong Kong, and China, and is also among Israel’s top buyers of defence equipment.
The backlash against the IDF’s depiction of Indian borders was therefore not only about cartographic accuracy, but also about perceived diplomatic disrespect at a time of deepening bilateral relations.
The IDF’s post and subsequent apology came amid rapidly escalating tensions between Israel and Iran, following a series of tit-for-tat military exchanges. Israel had recently launched what it described as its largest offensive to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons. According to Israeli authorities, Iran retaliated by firing dozens of missiles, some of which were reportedly intercepted with the help of the United States.
The crisis has prompted a series of escalating threats from both nations’ leaders. Netanyahu warned Iran, saying “more is on the way”, while Ayatollah Ali Khamenei accused Israel of starting a war.
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