div class=”story-para”NEW DELHI — India-Israeli defense ties are threatening to blow up into a major political controversy here as the parties on the political left, whose support the government needs to remain in power, have severely criticized the Jan. 21 launch of an Israeli spy satellite from Indian territory./div div class=”story-para”The left parties want the Indian government to describe the scope of the India-Israeli satellite tie-ups./div div class=”story-para”“The UPA government is keeping a shameful silence on this criminal blockade by Israel. It is instead collaborating with Israel to enhance its military capability. The launch of an Israeli satellite from Sriharikota shows how India is aiding military efforts of Israel,” the Communist Party of India polit bureau said in a statement./div div class=”story-para”The Israeli spy satellite was launched aboard an Indian-built rocket. India has been on a global hunt to acquire a military satellite and had been discussing with Tel Aviv the lease of the Ofeq 5 spy satellite. There are no details available on the specifications of the Israeli satellite, but sources in the Indian Defence Ministry said the Israeli satellite has a very high resolution./div div class=”story-para”The Indian government will find it difficult to give the details sought by the parties on the left on the Israeli-Indian space program because most involve co-development of critical technologies, like the development of India’s homegrown anti-ballistic missile system with Israeli help and the co-development of a 1,000-kilometer-range cruise missile./div

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