The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) updated a graphic to correctly show Kashmir as part of India, after its earlier depiction of the region as Pakistani territory sparked strong reactions across Indian social media.
On Friday, the IDF posted a map illustrating Iran’s alleged missile range, but the visual inaccurately showed Jammu and Kashmir outside of Indian borders, leading to widespread outrage. Many Indian users on X (formerly Twitter) flagged the mistake, tagging top Israeli officials and demanding a correction.
Lieutenant Colonel Nadav Shoshani, the IDF’s international spokesperson, acknowledged the error, stating that the team had “mistakenly used the wrong world map” while highlighting threats from Iran. He thanked Indian netizens for pointing out the issue.
While Kashmir’s status has been corrected, the updated graphic still inaccurately depicts India’s northeastern boundary, showing parts of Northeast India as belonging to Nepal. Key regions like Aksai Chin (part of Ladakh) and Arunachal Pradesh were also misrepresented in the original post.
The graphic, initially shared late Friday evening, featured red concentric circles emanating from Iran, representing the country’s alleged missile reach. It shaded broad swathes of West Asia, Europe, northern Africa, and Asia—including countries like India, China, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Libya, Romania, Bulgaria, Turkey, Kazakhstan, and Ethiopia.
About 90 minutes after the backlash began, the IDF issued a public apology for the incorrect depiction of India’s map.
As of now, the Indian government has not issued an official response.
Despite the diplomatic misstep, India and Israel share a deepening strategic partnership. Since Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s landmark visit to Israel in 2017, bilateral cooperation has grown across defense, trade, energy, and intelligence.
Between 1999 and 2010, India purchased $9 billion worth of defense equipment from Israel, making it the latter’s second-largest arms customer after Russia. Around 42.1% of Israel’s arms exports are destined for India.
On the trade front, Israel has imported approximately $3.2 billion in crude oil and diamonds from India. Indian energy firms such as ONGC Videsh, Bharat PetroResources, Indian Oil, and Oil India have been granted licenses to explore Israel’s Tamar and Leviathan gas fields.
The two countries also collaborate in joint military exercises and counter-terrorism efforts. Israel has supported India’s stance on terrorism, including praising Indian airstrikes against Pakistan following the Pahalgam attack. Additionally, Israel has extended humanitarian aid to India in times of need, including after the 2001 Gujarat earthquake.
On Friday, the IDF posted a map illustrating Iran’s alleged missile range, but the visual inaccurately showed Jammu and Kashmir outside of Indian borders, leading to widespread outrage. Many Indian users on X (formerly Twitter) flagged the mistake, tagging top Israeli officials and demanding a correction.
Lieutenant Colonel Nadav Shoshani, the IDF’s international spokesperson, acknowledged the error, stating that the team had “mistakenly used the wrong world map” while highlighting threats from Iran. He thanked Indian netizens for pointing out the issue.
While Kashmir’s status has been corrected, the updated graphic still inaccurately depicts India’s northeastern boundary, showing parts of Northeast India as belonging to Nepal. Key regions like Aksai Chin (part of Ladakh) and Arunachal Pradesh were also misrepresented in the original post.
The graphic, initially shared late Friday evening, featured red concentric circles emanating from Iran, representing the country’s alleged missile reach. It shaded broad swathes of West Asia, Europe, northern Africa, and Asia—including countries like India, China, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Libya, Romania, Bulgaria, Turkey, Kazakhstan, and Ethiopia.
About 90 minutes after the backlash began, the IDF issued a public apology for the incorrect depiction of India’s map.
As of now, the Indian government has not issued an official response.
Despite the diplomatic misstep, India and Israel share a deepening strategic partnership. Since Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s landmark visit to Israel in 2017, bilateral cooperation has grown across defense, trade, energy, and intelligence.
Between 1999 and 2010, India purchased $9 billion worth of defense equipment from Israel, making it the latter’s second-largest arms customer after Russia. Around 42.1% of Israel’s arms exports are destined for India.
On the trade front, Israel has imported approximately $3.2 billion in crude oil and diamonds from India. Indian energy firms such as ONGC Videsh, Bharat PetroResources, Indian Oil, and Oil India have been granted licenses to explore Israel’s Tamar and Leviathan gas fields.
The two countries also collaborate in joint military exercises and counter-terrorism efforts. Israel has supported India’s stance on terrorism, including praising Indian airstrikes against Pakistan following the Pahalgam attack. Additionally, Israel has extended humanitarian aid to India in times of need, including after the 2001 Gujarat earthquake.
