A new analysis from the Begin–Sadat Centre for Strategic Studies highlights a major reorientation in India’s national security doctrine, arguing that the country has effectively begun treating large-scale terrorism as an act of war. According to the report, this shift has opened the door to deeper strategic coordination with Israel, particularly in areas related to deterrence, counterterrorism and advanced military technology.
The study notes that India’s readiness to impose costs on terrorist networks and their state backers—without waiting for international endorsement—marks the emergence of a new strategic playbook. Analysts John Spencer and Lauren Dagan Amoss argue that India’s approach now mirrors long-standing principles that have shaped Israel’s own security posture. Both nations, they observe, confront adversaries that rely on proxy groups under the cover of nuclear ambiguity, making decisive and early responses central to credible deterrence.
The report draws particular attention to India’s performance during Operation Sindoor, where the country’s ability to defeat advanced Chinese-origin PL-15 missiles and HQ-9/P air defence systems offered lessons directly relevant to Israel. As Chinese technology becomes more prevalent across the Middle East, India’s operational experience is viewed as increasingly valuable for Israeli planners.
According to the authors, India’s departure from the doctrine of strategic restraint has been nearly a decade in the making. A series of attacks—Uri in 2016, Balakot in 2019 and Pahalgam in 2025—revealed that predictable, limited responses were failing to deter cross-border terrorism. Rather than preventing escalation, restraint had created a stable expectation that India would avoid decisive retaliation, encouraging further attacks by Pakistan-based groups.
The report argues that this pattern has now been decisively broken. India has moved toward a doctrine of compellence, treating major terrorist strikes as acts of war and responding accordingly. This shift was made explicit during Operation Sindoor, when Prime Minister Narendra Modi declared that significant attacks would trigger wartime-level responses, not law enforcement procedures. Pre-emption, the authors note, has been elevated to a sovereign right.
During the operation, India used long-range precision fire, drone swarms, loitering munitions and real-time fused intelligence to strike early and deep into hostile territory. These actions, according to the report, signalled a permanent doctrinal change that collapses the line between proxy terror and state responsibility.
The analysis suggests that India’s evolving approach is not only reshaping regional deterrence but also aligning the country more closely with Israel’s own strategic outlook. As both nations confront evolving threats, the emerging convergence is seen as doctrinal as well as operational.
