New Delhi, November 26: On the 17th anniversary of the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks, Israel’s Ambassador to India, Reuven Azar, paid tribute to the victims and called the carnage “an attack on humanity”, reaffirming that Israel will continue to work closely with India to defeat terrorism in all its forms.
In a video message shared on X, Azar said that the gunmen who stormed Mumbai in November 2008 had deliberately targeted people “from every community, every nationality and every faith”, including both Indians and Israelis. He added that Israel “knows this pain” from its own experience with terror attacks and understands what it means to respond “with courage, clarity and determination”.
As India marks the anniversary of the horrific 26/11 attacks, I and the people of Israel stand with you, just as we did on that dark day and every year since,” the envoy said, stressing that 26/11 was not only an attack on Mumbai, but on shared human values.
Shared trauma, shared resolve
Azar underlined that the common experience of repeated terror assaults has become one of the strongest foundations of the India–Israel relationship. Both countries, he noted, have lost civilians, tourists and security personnel to ideologically motivated violence, and both have invested heavily in intelligence, technology and security reforms to prevent similar attacks in the future.
The envoy said Israel “is and will always remain committed” to working with India against terrorism, pointing to a long track record of cooperation ranging from intelligence sharing and cyber-security to homeland security technologies and joint training for specialised units.
Beyond 26/11: expanding security and diplomatic cooperation
The message comes at a moment when New Delhi and Tel Aviv are already deepening strategic coordination. In recent weeks, India’s External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar have both publicly stressed that it is “essential” for the two countries to work together against terrorism, as part of a wider agenda that includes connectivity projects and high-technology partnerships.
Israel has also repeatedly expressed solidarity after recent terror incidents in India — from the Pahalgam attack earlier this year, where Israeli leaders declared that “Israel stands with India in its fight against terrorism”, to the more recent blast near Delhi’s Red Fort, after which Israel’s foreign minister again reaffirmed support for India’s counter-terror efforts.
Diplomats and security analysts see these statements not as isolated gestures but as part of a consistent pattern: Israel positioning itself as a long-term partner in India’s internal security and counter-terror strategy, while India reciprocates through diplomatic backing and strategic cooperation in West Asia.
International support on 26/11 anniversary
The Israeli envoy’s tribute was echoed by other missions in New Delhi. The French Ambassador Thierry Mathou also marked the anniversary, honouring the memory of those killed in Mumbai and reiterating France’s “unequivocal condemnation of terrorism” while expressing solidarity with India.
Commemorative events in Mumbai and other Indian cities on Tuesday highlighted the courage of police personnel, NSG commandos, hotel staff and ordinary citizens who confronted the attackers. For many observers, Israel’s message that India is “not alone” and that life must “always triumph over hate” serves as both a remembrance of the past and a reminder that the global fight against terrorism is far from over.
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