India-Israel naval chiefs meet fizzles out

New Delhi, August 1: A top-level interaction to chart out the course of Indo-Israel maritime security cooperation fizzled out with Israeli Navy chief Major General David Ben Ba’ashat resigning his post days before his meeting with Admiral Sureesh Mehta in India.

While Maj Gen Ba’ashat - who resigned last week after facing severe criticism for naval failure during the Second Lebanon War is still likely to visit New Delhi, the meeting has become a low-key affair from what could have been a significant milestone in security cooperation.

Sources confirmed that the resignation has put the first-ever interaction between Navy chiefs of the two countries under a cloud. However, due to the short reaction time available, the visit could not be postponed.

“The resignation will have a subduing effect on the interaction, but we have been told that he (Ba’ashat) is likely to continue till September till a new chief is appointed,” a ministry source said.

The Israeli delegation is scheduled to arrive on August 7 and will visit naval facilities in Mumbai after interacting with the top naval brass in New Delhi. The Indian Navy is a leading purchaser of Israeli technology.

The naval chief came under severe criticism after investigations into an incident, which took place off the Lebanon coast where Hezbollah fired an Iranian-made missile at navy vessel Hanit killing four sailors and wounding dozens more, revealed an intelligence failure.

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