The visit to Israel by Indian Army chief Naravane comes shortly after two other high-profile visits from India – that of External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and defence secretary Ajay Kumar. India also participated in the recent Blue Flag international air drill.

Indian Army chief General MM Naravane recently concluded his first visit to Israel last week. According to the army, the trip aimed at “further strengthening strategic defence cooperation between both countries.”

The five-day visit included a tour of the Israel Defence Forces’ Ground Forces headquarters, and the northern border of the country. The Army chief received Israel’s guard of honour, visited Haifa’s memorial to Indian soldiers who fought in World War I, and visited the special operations unit where counter-terrorism was discussed.

He also met with Israel’s senior military and civilian leadership to discuss ways to further enhance defence relations between Israel and India.

The visit comes shortly after two other high-profile visits from India – that of External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and defence secretary Ajay Kumar. India also participated in the recent Blue Flag international air drill.

According to a report by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, India is one of Israel’s largest buyers of military hardware, and the two countries have signed an agreement to develop bilateral technology, like drones, artificial intelligence and quantum technology.

Speaking exclusively to WION, Commander of the Israel Defence Forces’ Border Defence Corps, Brigadier General Amit Yamin divulged the key issues discussed during Naravane’s meeting.

“We discussed counterterrorism challenges, border disputes and other issues. And it was stressed that sharing knowledge on such issues is needed to deal with them effectively,” he said.

When asked what India and Israel can learn from each other in tackling counterterrorism and border security issues, Tamin said, “We (India and Israel) have common challenges, we can train together and this can also help improve our connection.”

The visit comes as India and Israel are set to celebrate 30 years of diplomatic ties on January 29 next year.