India-Israel forge deeper defence ties; condemn terrorist acts of Pahalgam, Oct 7

The top brass from India and Israel held a bilateral meeting in New Delhi on Wednesday, where discussions focused on further deepening the bilateral defence cooperation with a vision of a long-term perspective. The discussions took place between India's Defence Secretary and the Director General of Israel's Ministry of Defence, as said by India's Ministry of Defence in an official statement.

As per the Ministry, Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh held a bilateral meeting with Director General, Israel Ministry of Defence Major General (Res.) Amir Baram in New Delhi on Wednesday.

The two sides agreed to further strengthen bilateral defence cooperation with a long-term perspective.


In a significant move, they concurred to work towards developing an institutional framework for further deepening of defence ties, the official statement said.

The Israel DG condemned the dastardly terrorist attack which took place in Pahalgam on April 22, where 26 people, including one foreign national on April 22 were killed in cold blood.

He conveyed full support for India's fight against terrorism.

Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh reiterated India's zero tolerance approach to terrorism and condemned the October 7, 2023 terrorist attacks in Israel and called for the release of all hostages.

At least 1,200 people were killed, and 252 Israelis and foreigners were taken hostage in Hamas's attacks on Israeli communities near the Gaza border on October 7, TPS reported.

The official statement noted that the two sides also reviewed the progress of the ongoing defence collaboration activities since last Joint Working Group meeting held in July 2024 in India.

This visit by the Major General (Res) Amir Baram marks a pivotal step in India-Israel defence relations and reinforces both sides' commitment to enhance their strategic partnership.