As regional conflict continues across West Asia and the United States continues its strikes on Iranian targets, Israel’s ambassador to India revealed the “opportune moment” to strike, after years of planning, waiting and strengthening of the Israeli military establishment for the operation.
The joint US-Israeli strikes on Iran came shortly after Prime Minister Narendra Modi concluded a two-day state visit to Israel, addressed Parliament there and met with his counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu.
Israel’s ambassador to India, Reuven Azar, spoke in detail about how the attack plan was prepared Indian Express The timing of military action against Iran had not been finalized when Prime Minister Modi was visiting. “It was a practical opportunity that came only after PM Modi left,” he told the newspaper, adding that while the regional conflict was discussed with the prime minister, “we couldn’t share something we didn’t already know.”
He said the launch of the operation received approval from the security cabinet on Saturday morning, about two days after Prime Minister Modi left Israel.
The Israeli envoy’s statements about the timing of the attack came days after Axios The report claimed that the United States and Israel planned the attack on Iran one week before it occurred, but delayed it for “operational and intelligence reasons.”
“Preparedness at the highest level.”
Speaking further about the planning during which the operation against Iran was launched with the help of the United States, the Israeli envoy said that his country “prepared at the highest level.”
Being on the receiving end of Iranian threats for years, Israel had to take some time to fully understand the operations in the enemy country, who was in control there and where they were located, Azar told IE. He said that Israel has invested billions to enhance its defense capabilities for years to protect itself from Iran and its agents.
He was quoted as saying: “Now, before this operation, we had been coordinating with the United States for a long time and were waiting for the right moment (to attack the Iranian leadership), which we did not know when it would happen.”
PM Modi’s trip to Israel is under fire
Soon after the joint US-Israeli attack on Iran over the weekend, Prime Minister Modi’s trip to Israel, which concluded just two days ago, received a backlash from the opposition in India.
During his speech to the Knesset, Prime Minister Modi declared that India stands with Israel “firmly and with full conviction”, a move that Congress later used to criticize the Prime Minister’s “highest levels of moral cowardice”.
“This visit to Israel was shameful, and even more so in light of the war waged by two of Mr. Modi’s ‘close friends’,” Congressman Jairam Ramesh wrote on X, referring to Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump, both of whom have described Prime Minister Modi as a good friend in the past.
The congressman also said that the US-Israeli attack had been expected for a long time, against the backdrop of the already tense situation in the region and several talks between Tehran and Washington that remained inconclusive. “However, Mr. Modi chose to go to Israel, where he displayed the highest degree of moral cowardice. He declared that India stands with Israel and bagged an award for himself for saying so,” Ramesh wrote.
Meanwhile, the situation in the Middle East remains tense even as Iran prepares for the funeral of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed in the US-Israeli operation. India has issued warnings to its citizens in the Gulf region, including Dubai and Abu Dhabi, as flight delays and cancellations continue.
