'Zero tolerance towards terrorism': India, Israel review emerging threats ahead of PM Modi's visit

India and Israel on Tuesday reaffirmed their joint resolve to combat terrorism and strengthen security cooperation, as officials from both countries met in New Delhi to review evolving threats and expand bilateral counter-terror efforts. The meeting comes just a day before Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to visit Israel. 

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PM Modi's engagements will include his address to Israel's parliament, wide-ranging talks with his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu, and a meeting with President Isaac Herzog. "This visit will reaffirm the deep and long-standing strategic partnership between the two countries and will present an opportunity to review the common challenges as well as realign efforts towards achieving their shared vision for a robust partnership between two resilient democracies," the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said.

The 10th meeting of the India-Israel Joint Working Group on Counter Terrorism was held on February 24 in New Delhi, bringing together senior officials to deepen coordination under the countries' strategic partnership. The Indian delegation was led by Vinod Bahade, Joint Secretary for Counter Terrorism at the Ministry of External Affairs, while Israel's side was headed by Nadav Eschar, Head of Bureau in the Strategic Affairs Division of Israel’s foreign ministry.

Both sides condemned terrorism in all its forms, including cross-border attacks, and reaffirmed a shared policy of zero tolerance. "Both sides unequivocally and strongly condemned terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, including cross-border terrorism, and reaffirmed the principle of zero tolerance towards terrorism. They strongly condemned the brutal terror attacks in both countries, including the heinous October 07, 2023 terror attack in Israel, the dastardly terrorist attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, India on April 22, 2025 and other terror acts that have emphasized the urgent need to hold the perpetrators of these heinous acts accountable," the joint statement said. 

Both sides emphasised that confronting terrorism requires concerted action in a sustained and comprehensive manner. "Against this backdrop, the two sides renewed their commitment to strengthening multilateral cooperation in the field of countering terrorism, including in the UN, the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), and other multilateral platforms. The two sides reiterated their commitment to cooperate in combating terrorism and terrorist organizations, as well as their proxies, supporters, sponsors, financiers and backers."

The meeting also reviewed emerging security challenges, including terrorist recruitment, financing networks, and the misuse of technology. Both sides expressed concern over the increasing use of unmanned aerial vehicles, drones, and artificial intelligence by terrorist groups, and discussed expanding cooperation in cybersecurity, training, and information sharing.