Israeli Army Posts a Wrong Map on Social Media
On Friday evening, the official account of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) shared a map on social media platform X (formerly Twitter). This map was part of a message showing how Israel views Iran as a big global threat. The map covered many parts of the world, including West Asia, Europe, Africa, and Asia. But what shocked many Indians was the way India was shown on the map.
In this image, the Indian regions of Jammu and Kashmir appeared as if they were not part of India but instead looked like they belonged to Pakistan. This is a very sensitive issue for India, as the country has always stated clearly that Jammu and Kashmir, including Ladakh, are an integral and inseparable part of India. Any incorrect portrayal of India’s borders is taken very seriously by the people and the government.
Soon after the map was posted by the IDF, many Indian users noticed the mistake. They immediately started reacting online, tagging Israeli officials and asking for the IDF to correct the map. One X user even commented, “Now you understand why India remains neutral. In diplomacy, no one’s really your friend.”
The backlash grew quickly, with many calling out the IDF for what they felt was a careless and disrespectful move. Several users also tagged Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and demanded that the IDF delete the post and replace it with a correct map.
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Israel’s Quick Apology After Public Outrage
The Israel Defense Forces were quick to respond to the angry posts. About 90 minutes after the original map was shared, they replied to one of the complainants. The complainant was from an X handle named “Indian Right Wing Community”. The IDF’s reply read: “This post is an illustration of the region. This map fails to precisely depict borders. We apologies for any offense caused.”
This reply was a direct public apology. It was a rare move by the Israeli military, especially since governments and their defense agencies don’t often admit such mistakes publicly. They claimed that the map was just meant to show the general region and was not meant to be taken as a precise political map. Still, they acknowledged that it was inaccurate and offensive.
As of now, the Indian government has not made any official comment on this matter. However, the situation has caught the attention of many Indian citizens, who believe such mistakes are serious and should not be ignored.
India-Israel Relations and Why This Incident Matters
Over the past few years, India and Israel have grown closer as strategic partners. In 2017, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi became the first Indian leader to visit Israel. Since then, both countries have built strong ties in defense, trade, agriculture, and technology.
India is now one of Israel’s largest trading partners, only behind the United States, the United Kingdom, Hong Kong, and China. Military cooperation is also a key part of their relationship, with India being one of the biggest buyers of Israeli defense equipment.
That is why the map error came as such a shock to many Indians. People felt that a close friend like Israel should have been more careful while depicting India’s international borders. Many online users also pointed out that Indian soldiers have sacrificed their lives to defend these borders, and showing them wrongly is deeply hurtful.
The map that caused the outrage was used in a post where the IDF was warning about the threat they believe Iran poses to the world. The map had red circles showing how far Iranian missiles could reach. These circles covered not just Israel’s neighbors like Saudi Arabia, but also countries far away like Ethiopia, Libya, India, China, Russia, and parts of Europe like Romania and Bulgaria.
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But because the map wrongly showed Indian territory, the focus quickly shifted from Iran to the mistake made by the IDF. Indian social media users were quick to react, and the tone of many posts was angry and disappointed.
One user wrote, “Delete it, correct it, repost it,” tagging the Israeli Prime Minister. Another post accused Israel of ignoring the contributions of Indian soldiers who have died defending the country’s borders.
This mistake happened at a time when tensions are already high in West Asia. Israel has recently carried out major military strikes on Iran, claiming that Iran was getting closer to building nuclear weapons. Iran fired back with dozens of missiles. According to Israel, some of these were blocked with the help of the United States. Both countries’ leaders have exchanged strong words, and the situation remains tense.
In the middle of this, the wrong map posted by the Israeli military added a new controversy to an already tense global situation.