The threat perception of Iran's nuclear program to Israel has been relegated to the second position with Pakistan and Afghanistan being identified as the biggest threat to the Jewish nation, according to the new Israeli foreign minister.
In his first interview to a Russian daily after taking charge, Israel's hardliner Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman has said that since he began warning against the nuclear threat from Iran, nuclear threats have become more prevalent. However, he said, a more serious problem has developed in Pakistan and Afghanistan.
With an unstable nuclear-armed Pakistan faced with a potential Taliban takeover and Afghanistan facing a resurgent Taliban and Al-Qaida, the combination formed a contiguous area of radicalism ruled in the spirit of Bin Laden, he said.
"I do not think that this makes anyone in China, Russia or the United States happy... these countries (Pakistan and Afghanistan) are a threat not only to Israel, but also to the global order as a whole," he added.
Iran was not Israel's greatest strategic threat, rather Afghanistan and Pakistan were, he emphasized, while stating that the strategic threat coming from Iraq was ranked as the third most important issue of concern for his country.
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June 12, 2026 17:14 ET Major central bank action was the focus this week in economic news. The European Central Bank became the first major central bank to move in response to the rising inflationary pressures in the backdrop of the conflict in the Middle East. In North America, the U.S. inflation and trade data as well as Canada’s central bank decision gained attention. The Chinese trade data was the main news in Asia.