From R&AW’s inception in 1968 to today’s advanced defence collaborations, the Indo-Israeli alliance has quietly strengthened in the face of shared security challenges

It was three years after the Indo-Pakistan war. The year was 1968. India’s external intelligence agency, The Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW) was formed and its director was firmly advised by the then Prime Minister, Indira Gandhi, to develop deep ties with Mossad; Israel’s formidable intelligence agency. The two have been working closely together to eliminate potential threats and impending security challenges. The interests of both agencies aligned; obliterating the similar nature of terror emanating from their borders.

As Israel confronts Iran’s proxies in the region, Indian security forces battle Pakistan’s proxies, Jaish-e-Mohammad and Lashkar-e-Taiba, daily in the restive state of Jammu and Kashmir; which also happens to be one of the world’s most heavily militarised zones. Pakistan, a nuclear-armed country, also happens to be the epicentre of global terrorism. Fast-forward to the year 1999 when India was engaged in the Kargil conflict with Pakistan.

It was then that Israel provided India with drones to monitor the treacherous Himalayan terrain. Now, as Israel is entangled in its battles, India’s Adani group has delivered several Hermes 900 drones which are also capable of aerial bombardment. They have been deployed in Gaza. This, of course, is beyond the ambit of the Indian Government’s control since it’s a joint venture between Adani Defence and Aerospace and Israel’s Elbit systems. Besides, allegedly India sent two shiploads of arms to Israel early this year.

Over the past few years, Mossad has conducted a series of assassinations. These have included top Iranian nuclear physicists, professors and the head of Iran’s nuclear programme. Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed that Israel will not tolerate a nuclear Iran. So, in the foreseeable future, it is very likely that Israel will strike Iran’s nuclear facilities because Iran is going to relentlessly pursue the nuclear path. This is irrefutable.

 In recent times, the agency in collaboration with the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) has assassinated the top leadership of Hamas and Hezbollah; Ismael Haniyeh- the Hamas political leader- in Tehran, Hassan Nasrallah- the Hezbollah leader and Yahya Sinwar who was the chief architect of the 7th October 2023 attacks on Israel.

The very recent precision strikes in and around Tehran would have sent shockwaves in the power corridors of Iran. The reverberations of these calculated strikes would have sent Iran’s security cabinet scrambling to fathom how Israel could pursue such an accurate military operation. One will have to wait and watch Iran’s reaction. Will it retaliate and escalate the exacerbated situation in the West Asia or will it choose to mitigate the situation and let its proxies corner Israel? 

But this outcome was almost certain. Israel had to engage in a limited military response. But what captured the imagination of the world was how Hezbollah pagers and walkie-talkies exploded simultaneously. Contentious debates regarding such a deadly operation were circulating to the centre stage. The vociferous debates focus on the morality and ethics of such an unprecedented operation.

After all, it does set a precedent for future attacks anywhere in the world. But as Israel’s Ambassador to New Delhi put it; you have to surprise your enemy in a manner that does not involve the conventional use of force. They say necessity is the mother of all inventions. Israel’s campaign epitomises it perfectly.

They say that offence is not the best form of defence but in Israel’s case, this chain of thought is unconvincing. The state exists in a precarious security zone. Israel may find itself alienated from the rest of the world as the valiant men and women of the IDF battle on various fronts, but the war and Israel’s meticulous planning must continue.

Iran’s proxies must be annihilated. Its relentless campaign to eliminate groups like Hamas and Hezbollah must not end anytime soon. Political parties or not, these actors harbour a twisted, malicious and hostile ideology. There is no space for such entities to exist in a modern world. Israel must never forget that the long-lasting ties between the two nations will continue and India’s explicit support will not fade anytime soon.

The Indo-Israeli ties will be a durable bond in the years to come. This relationship which hinges on mutual respect and specific interests will bloom and crystallise in the years to come. Golda Meir, the fourth Prime Minister of Israel, articulated it quite clearly; ‘peace will only usher in when Arabs love their children more than they despise us.’ 

(The writer is a socio-economic commentator; views expressed are personal)