Growing India-Israel ties prime reason behind Nariman House attack: Report

New York, Feb.2 (ANI): The Mumbai attackers may have seemed to target whatever came in their way, be it the railway station (the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminal), or luxurious hotels (the Taj and the Oberoi Trident) or any community center (Nariman House), but now reports have revealed that the assault on Nariman House, a Jewish center was primarily because of India's growing ties with Israel.

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According to The Nation, the prime factor behind the terrorists targeting the small Jewish center in Mumbai was India and Israel's growing co-operation in their effort to curb terrorism in the region.

Quoting an unnamed counter-terrorism expert, the paper said that the attack on Nariman House was more complicated than those on the two luxurious hotels.

"The assault on the obscure Nariman House was more sophisticated than those on the city's two luxury hotels, an indication that it was a prime target in the November operation," it said.

According to retired Indian Vice Admiral Premvir Das, the aim of the attack on the Jewish center was to tell India that its growing links with the Israel is not acceptable to the terrorist groups.

"Nariman House attack was to tell the Indians clearly that your growing linkage with Israel is not what you should be doing. I think the rest is peripheral," Das said.

He added that the ruthlessness of the attack at the Jewish center indicated how important the location was to the assailants.

In recent times, India has become one of the largest customers of Israeli military techniques and arms, which are considered one of the most advanced and lethal in the world.

India acquires weapons of about 1.5 billion dollars every year from Israel. Only Russia sells more arms to India than Israel. (ANI)