Mumbai, May 7 (IANS) Reaffirming Israel’s strong support for India in the fight against terrorism on the first anniversary of ‘Operation Sindoor’, Israel’s Consul General to Midwest India, Yaniv Revach, said on Thursday that the perpetrators of terror “must know that their actions won’t go unpunished”, while stressing that the West Asian country would continue standing firmly with India against terrorism.

Speaking to IANS on the first anniversary of ‘Operation Sindoor’, Revach said Israel was proud of its defence partnership with India and its contribution to strengthening India’s offensive and defensive military capabilities.

“Israel is proud of its association with the Indian armed forces, building offensive and defensive capabilities that outperformed during Operation Sindoor. Those perpetrators of terrorism must know that their actions won’t go unpunished, and Israel will definitely stand by India when it comes to fighting against terrorism,” the Israeli diplomat affirmed.

Highlighting growing defence cooperation between the two nations, Revach said India and Israel share a relationship built on trust, common interests and strategic understanding.

Referring to defence discussions held during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent visit to Israel, the Israeli diplomat added that both countries are keen to expand cooperation further.

“The first Iron Dome system was deployed in the UAE during this conflict with Iran. We truly hope that other aspects of cooperation in defence issues between those two countries — India and Israel — will continue even in the future. We know that during the visit of Prime Minister Modi, it was one of the topics that was discussed,” Revach said.

“We hope to see even more cooperation in the future, including under the vision of ‘Make in India’ here in India,” he added.

Revach also pointed to increasing collaboration between Israeli and Indian firms in areas such as defence, security, water management and cyber technology.

“There are plenty of Israeli companies that actually work together with Indian companies here to promote different activities — whether it is defence, security, water or cyber. Since both countries share the same values, cooperation in the economic and defence fields is fantastic for both sides,” he said.

On the geopolitical situation in West Asia and the strategic importance of the Strait of Hormuz, the Israeli envoy warned against any disruption to global trade and energy routes.

“The Strait of Hormuz is one of the world’s most important energy routes. Any attempt by Iran to block it threatens not only the Gulf states or Israel, but also the global economy, oil supply and international stability,” Revach said.

“The world must understand that we cannot accept the use of international trade routes as political blackmail. Freedom of navigation is very important for all countries, including India, which depends heavily on stable energy supplies and free trade,” he added.

Speaking about the ongoing tensions involving Iran and Hezbollah, Revach defended Israel’s military actions, saying the country was exercising its right to self-defence.

“Israel did not choose this war with Iran and Hezbollah, but Israel has the right to defend its own people. For many years, the Iranian regime has funded proxies that try to encircle and attack Israel from different directions,” he said.

On Israel’s recent approval for the purchase of advanced fighter jets from the US, Revach added that the acquisition would significantly strengthen the capabilities of the Israeli Air Force.

“These aircraft give Israel better defence capabilities, longer operational range and advanced technology to protect our citizens,” he said.

Commenting on US-Israel ties, Revach described the relationship as “special and strong”, particularly highlighting cooperation witnessed during the recent conflict involving Iran.

“We saw especially during this conflict with Iran what strong cooperation we had when it comes to airstrikes, Air Force joint cooperation and intelligence sharing. The close ties between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump are also very important,” the Israeli envoy said.

“The connection between the two leaders and the two armies proved highly effective during this conflict,” Revach added.

–IANS

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