Holds talks to deepen military tiesNEW DELHI: The director-general of Israeli ministry of defense (IMOD), Maj Gen (Retd) Amir Baram, on Monday held discussions with defence minister Rajnath Singh to further strengthen defence ties between the two countries.In a post on X, the office of defence minister said that Maj Gen (Retd) Amir Baram had called on him to brief him on Israel’s commitment to expand defence cooperation under the larger purview of the Special Strategic Partnership.Baram also held a series of high-level meetings with defence secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh and other senior officials of the defence ministry. Israeli ambassador to India Reuven Azar re-shared the post and highlighted how India and Israel are undertaking more joint projects to further enhance the partnership.During these meetings, both sides discussed avenues for deepening bilateral defence and industrial cooperation, IMOD said in a statement.Describing India as ‘a key strategic partner’, Baram said that the visit was the “result of a lengthy bilateral preparation process” and “reflects the great importance that India and Israel attach to expanding their growing defence and industrial alliance -- but no less so, the depth of the bond between our two nations”.India and Israel had signed an MoU in Feb this year, just before PM Narendra Modi visited Israel, identifying a wide range of areas of cooperation that will benefit both countries.