Israeli and international media quoted Israeli security officials as claiming the operation was risky and premature. Indian media published the criticisms at length, and although there has yet to be an official reaction from the Indian government, local journalists and television commentators have reacted strongly.
They accuse Israel of casting doubt on the effectiveness of their "brave" Indian commandos, and claim that Israel has a bad record in hostage-rescue operations, aside from the successful Operation Entebbe in 1976.Eli Blotserkovski, the political envoy to the Israeli embassy in New Delhi, told Haaretz, "This emphasizes the need for all the international community, not just India and Israel, to act in a coordinated manner against terrorism."
Another Israeli diplomat in India said Israel needs to be careful not to criticize India.
"Particularly in the present situation we have an important strategic relationship with them and we stand with them in a shared struggle against terrorism," he said.
Col. (res.) Lior Lotan, formerly a senior officer in the army's elite Sayeret Matkal unit, said the Indians had operated as if there were no hostages. "When you're rescuing captives, you enter fast, with maximum force, and try to reach the hostages as quickly as possible, even at the price of casualties," he said. "Here, they operated much more cautiously." Television pictures from Nariman House also raised questions about the professionalism of the Indian forces. For instance, it is not clear why the area was not cleared of bystanders, or why the comparatively risky option of a helicopter-borne assault was chosen.
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