Prime Minister Narendra Modi departed for Israel on Wednesday for a two-day state visit aimed at strengthening bilateral ties across defence, security, technology, agriculture, water management, trade, and people-to-people exchanges. The visit was announced by the Ministry of External Affairs.
This marks PM Modi’s second visit to Israel in nine years. During his landmark 2017 trip to Tel Aviv, India–Israel ties were elevated to a strategic partnership. As part of the current visit, the Prime Minister is scheduled to address the Knesset and hold delegation-level talks with his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu. He will also call on Israeli President Isaac Herzog.
According to the MEA, both leaders will review progress under the India–Israel Strategic Partnership and explore new areas of cooperation. Discussions are expected to cover defence collaboration, emerging technologies, innovation ecosystems, artificial intelligence, cyber security, and regional geopolitical developments.
Several memoranda of understanding (MoUs) are likely to be signed during the visit, including agreements related to security cooperation. However, officials have indicated that no specific major defence deal is expected to be finalised during this trip, even though Israel has agreed to share advanced defence technologies with India.
Defence ties between the two countries have steadily expanded. In November last year, both sides signed an MoU during the 17th Joint Working Group meeting on defence cooperation in Tel Aviv, outlining collaboration in defence manufacturing, research and development, AI, and cyber security.
Weapons of Israeli origin were reportedly deployed during Operation Sindoor in May 2025, underlining the depth of defence engagement. At the same time, India recently joined over 100 countries in expressing concern over Israel’s expansion of settlements in the West Bank, reiterating its longstanding support for a two-state solution.
