Indian naval ship on port call to Israeli city to deepen defence ties

Aiming at deepening defence ties between India and Israel, an Indian naval sail training ship made a four-day port call to the Jewish nation's northern coastal city of Haifa, which recently celebrated 100 years of its liberation from the Ottoman Empire forces in which Indian soldiers also laid down their lives protecting the city during World War-I.

In 1918, two brave Indian Cavalry Regiments that were part of the Allied Forces had helped liberate the city in what is seen as the last great cavalry campaign in history.

The ship, INS Tarangini, arrived at the port of Haifa on September 27 and will be docked there till September 30 after which it will leave for its base at the Southern Naval Command in Kochi, according to an official statement.

I"The visit is one more step forward in our ongoing cooperation that helps us know each other better. Indian ships have made frequent port calls to Haifa which enables interaction between the two Navies," an official here said.

Israel is one of the top arms suppliers to India, notching up sales worth almost USD 1 billion every year.

The port call at Haifa is part of a larger voyage named Lokayan-18, which in Sanskrit means "travel around the world".

During the voyage which began on July 10, the ship has made 13 port calls in 12 countries, including Israel.