‘Israel supports India’s right for self-defence’: Israel Ambassador to India

NEW DELHI: Israel’s Ambassador to India, Reuven Azar, said on Wednesday that Israel supports India’s right to self-defence. His remarks came in the wake of Indian strikes under “Operation Sindoor,” which targeted nine terrorist camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir.

The Israeli envoy supported the Indian strikes and reinforced that terrorists should know there’s no place to hide “from their heinous crimes against the innocent”. He wrote on X, “Israel supports India’s right for self defense. Terrorists should know there’s no place to hide from their heinous crimes against the innocent. #OperationSindoor”

Israel supports India’s right for self defense. Terrorists should know there’s no place to hide from their heinous crimes against the innocent. #OperationSindoor

— Reuven Azar (@ReuvenAzar) May 7, 2025

On Wednesday, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that he is closely monitoring the situation between India and Pakistan, following Indian missile strikes on multiple sites in Pakistan.

His remarks follow those of President Donald Trump, who, earlier in the day, acknowledged the reports of the Indian strikes and expressed hope that tensions would de-escalate swiftly. “We just heard about it as we were walking through the doors of the Oval. Just heard about it. I guess people knew something was going to happen based on a little bit of the past. They’ve been fighting for a long time. They’ve been fighting for many, many decades. And centuries, actually, if you think about it. I hope it ends very quickly”, Trump said.

The Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of the UAE, Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, has called on India and Pakistan to exercise restraint, de-escalate tensions and avoid further escalation, UAE’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said in a statement on Wednesday.

India’s Ministry of Defence said the action was in direct response to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack that killed 25 Indian nationals and one Nepali citizen. The ministry stated, “Our actions have been focused, measured and non-escalatory in nature. No Pakistani military facilities have been targeted”.

Indian Armed Forces successfully struck nine terror targets, four in Pakistan, including Bahawalpur, Muridke and Sialkot, and five in Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK), using special precision munitions in a coordinated operation, sources said. The operation was jointly carried out by the Indian Army, Navy, and Air Force, with the mobilisation of assets and troops. Prime Minister Narendra Modi was constantly monitoring Operation Sindoor throughout the night, sources confirmed.

The strikes on all nine targets were successful, sources further revealed. The Indian forces selected the locations to target top Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) and Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) leaders involved in sponsoring terrorist activities in India. (ANI)