3 min readNew DelhiMar 17, 2026 04:27 AM IST
Amid the looming energy crisis in India due to the conflict in West Asia and New Delhi coordinating with Tehran on the safe passage of India-bound ships at the Strait of Hormuz, Israel’s Ambassador to India Reuven Azar said on Monday that “every country has the right to do whatever they need in order to meet their interests”.
In his first media interaction since the conflict started on February 28, Azar — who was Israel’s Deputy National Security Advisor — said on the energy crisis: “What you are undergoing now is nothing compared with what would happen to the world and to (its) stability and to the economy if the Iranian regime would be allowed to build a military nuclear arsenal and build tens of thousands of ballistic missiles and an army of drones.” Iran would use these to attack not just their neighbours, but also help proliferate among its proxies in the region, Azar added. “That is very bad news for international trade…for the future of development of the Gulf countries, for the future of Indians who are living in the Gulf, for the future of trade between India and the Gulf countries,” he said.
“So you have to understand there are limited repercussions to this military operation, but they are nothing compared to the… repercussions that would happen if we hadn’t taken this action,” the Israeli envoy said.
When asked if Prime Minister Narendra Modi was briefed about the strikes by Israel and the US, Azar said, “It was pretty evident that the situation was pretty volatile in our region, even before Prime Minister Modi came. When it comes to the decision to strike, the operational opportunity came only after Prime Minister Modi left and the Cabinet decision to actually approve the operation happened only two days after.”
He also said Israel has activated “diplomatic channels” in the last few days, including with its partners the US and countries in the region as well as a few other nations with which it doesn’t have a diplomatic relationship.
“We are always for diplomacy. Unfortunately, we exhausted diplomacy to the extent that we had to take military action. We hope that diplomacy will be relevant again as a result of our military action,” he said.
“And we are ready to stop hostilities if Iran changes course,” he added.
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Azar also ruled out ground invasion and putting boots on the ground, saying, “I don’t think a full-fledged terrestrial invasion is on the cards… right now, we are controlling the skies of Iran.”
Scotching rumours about PM Benjamin Netanyahu’s well-being, he said, ”PM Netanyahu is alive. I saw him when I was in Israel more than once. The video at the cafe is not AI-fabricated. A lot of disinformation is being spread.” He also accused Iran and its “accomplices” of spreading disinformation.
