New Delhi: Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen, who arrived in India on Tuesday on a three-day official visit, has cut short his trip and is likely to return home later in the day in view of certain security developments in Israel.
He wrote in a tweet, “I landed a short time ago in New Delhi, the capital of India, and immediately upon landing I received a security update. In light of the events in Israel, I decided to cut short the diplomatic visit to India and return to Israel after my meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi that will take place today.”
This comes after Israeli military air raids on the Gaza Strip killed 12 people and injured 20 others, according to Al Jazeera. The Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) movement said three of its leaders were killed in the attack.
Meanwhile, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Foreign Minister of Israel Eli Cohen held bilateral talks in New Delhi. During the meeting, both leaders reaffirmed their commitment to strengthen the India-Israel relationship.
#WATCH | External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar and Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen hold a bilateral meeting in Delhi @MEAIndia @DrSJaishankar@IsraelinIndia @elicoh1 pic.twitter.com/e0Btq9guWD
— NewsMobile (@NewsMobileIndia) May 9, 2023
Three MoUs were signed between India and Israel on Tuesday morning in the presence of Union Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat and Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen in Delhi.
The Israeli Foreign Ministry said Cohen will leave for Tel Aviv after calling on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, reported PTI.