Israel Ambitions and Balochistan: A New Dangerous Strategy
Just one day before Israel’s unprovoked attack on Iran, when Tel Aviv was beating the drums of war, a small but extremely important news on the website of a Washington D.C.-based think tank was almost ignored. “On June 12, the Israel-aligned Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI) announced the launch of the Balochistan Studies Project (BSP).
This announcement is particularly significant because MEMRI, in its explanation, described Balochistan as a region rich in resources like oil, gas, uranium, copper, coal, rare earth minerals, and two deep-sea ports (Gwadar and Chabahar), and also stated that this region is “the best base for keeping Iran in check, monitoring its nuclear ambitions, and countering its dangerous relations with Pakistan—from which Tehran could obtain tactical nuclear weapons.”
MEMRI holds particular fame for viralizing selective (pro-Israel) translations and screenshots of Arabic, Persian, and Turkish media. Established in 1998, this think tank has always promoted a pro-Israel narrative. Its founder, Colonel Yigal Carmon, served in Israeli military intelligence for over two decades, and at least since 2012, MEMRI has been a key hub for informal intelligence activities for the Israeli state.
In this context, the “Balochistan Studies Project” appears to be an attempt by Israel to use the Baloch movement for its geopolitical objectives against Iran and Pakistan. Israel wants to make the Baloch nationalist movement a source of significant strategic advantages in its favor. This will impact not only the Baloch but also the resistance struggles of other stateless oppressed groups like the Palestinians.
MEMRI’s project includes several contradictions and misleading claims about the realities of exploitation and resistance in Balochistan. MEMRI’s website claims that “an independent Balochistan would be a natural ally of the West.”
The individuals involved in this project are also noteworthy. According to the website, BSP lists a person named “Mir Yar Baloch” as a “special advisor,” described as a prominent Baloch writer, researcher, and political scientist. According to MEMRI, his social media account is considered among the most influential accounts in the subcontinent.
In May 2025, the same person announced “Balochistan’s unilateral independence on social media and, addressing Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, said that India has the support of ‘six crore patriotic Baloch’ for Operation Sindoor.”
Balochistan is a region located between Iran and Pakistan, where both countries are engaged in counter-insurgency operations. Both accuse each other of sheltering cross-border militant groups. In both countries, the Baloch consider themselves oppressed and victims of state repression.
In such a context, Israel’s interest in the Baloch movement signals a new kind of intervention in the region. Evidence of Israeli penetration into Iran’s security system has already emerged in the recent attack, and now Israel’s open support for the Baloch nationalist movement aims to create a similar network on Pakistani soil to teach Pakistan a lesson for supporting Palestinians.
This move by Israel is also being viewed in the context of its strategic partnership with India. India has already been aiding Baloch separatists in various ways, which it does as a response to Pakistan’s support for oppressed Kashmiris under Indian control by supporting separatists in Balochistan. Mir Yar Baloch’s reliance on Indian media and his pro-Israel and pro-India tweets further clarify this connection.
History also tells us that due to the deep ties of the Palestinian organization PLO with Saddam Hussein, the Kurds grew closer to Israel. Strategic relations were fostered between Israel and the Kurdistan Regional Government. Today, the Baloch nationalist movement, by relying on Israel or India, is repeating the same mistake.
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