NEW YORK: The terrifying consequences of fake news was illustrated Pakistan's defence minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif once again made ominous nuclear threat and this time against Israel.

Asif issue threat via Twitter in response to a fake news article saying that that his country could use nuclear weapons after a fake news report that his Israeli counterpart had threatened "nuclear retaliation" for Islamabad's role in Syria against Islamic State (IS), highlighting the serious problem proliferation of fake news poses.

Khawaja Muhammad Asif's sinister threat read: 'Israeli def min threatens nuclear retaliation presuming pak role in Syria against Daesh. Israel forgets Pakistan is a Nuclear state too.'

Asif appeared to accept the article at face value, despite the fact that it mentioned Israel's former defence minister, Moshe Yaalon, rather than Avigdor Lieberman, who took over in May.

It is not the first time Pakistan's defence minister has threatened to use the country's nuclear weapons. In September he threatened India.

Pakistan and Israel both have nuclear arsenals. Pakistan has had nuclear weapons since 1998, Israel has had them since 1980s.