'No Link To PM Modi Visit': Envoy Reuven Azar Says Israel Approved Iran Strikes Days Later

Last Updated:March 16, 2026, 14:58 IST

The Israeli envoy said the region was already highly volatile before the visit and stressed that the operational window for the strikes emerged only after PM Modi had departed.

Israel approved its military strikes against Iran two days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi concluded his visit to the country, Israeli Ambassador to India Reuven Azar said on Monday, rejecting suggestions that the timing of the operation was connected to PM Modi’s trip.

Azar said the region was already highly volatile before the visit and stressed that the operational window for launching the strikes emerged only after the prime minister had departed.

“The cabinet decision to approve the operation happened only two days after," he said, adding that any attempt to link the visit with the military action was misplaced.

PM Modi arrived in Israel on February 25 for his second visit in nine years and left the following day after holding talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

In the early hours of February 28, Israel, in coordination with the United States, launched a large-scale military campaign against Iran, accusing Tehran of pursuing nuclear weapons even as discussions on a possible nuclear agreement were under way.

Israel has said the strikes targeted senior leadership and key military and administrative assets, though details of the damage and casualties remain contested.

The timing of PM Modi’s visit drew sharp criticism from India’s opposition Indian National Congress, which described the trip as “ill-timed" and said it risked creating the perception that India was politically endorsing military escalation.

Congress Foreign Affairs Department chairman Salman Khurshid said the party was deeply concerned about the visit amid heightened tensions and the risk of a wider conflict in West Asia.

Senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh went further, calling the visit “shameful" and accusing the government of undermining India’s traditional commitment to a rules-based international order.

Responding to the criticism, Azar reiterated that the decision-making on the strikes followed its own military and operational logic and was not influenced by Modi’s presence in Israel.

He said while the regional situation was tense even before the visit, the approval and execution of the operation took place only after the Indian leader had left, underscoring that there was no coordination or political signalling linked to the trip.

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