NEW DELHI, July 2 -- Defence minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday conveyed India's appreciation to the US for its unwavering support to New Delhi in its fight against terrorism followingin the backdrop of Operation Sindoor, in a telephonic conversation with his American counterpart Pete Hegseth. This was their first conversation after India launched Operation Sindoor against Pakistan, New Delhi's direct military response to the April 22 Pahalgam terror strike. Singh also told Hegseth that India reserves the right to respond to cross-border terrorism. "Glad to speak with the US @SecDef Mr. @PeteHegseth today. Excellent discussion to review the ongoing and new initiatives to further deepen India-US defence partnership and strengthen cooperation in capacity building. Conveyed my deep appreciation for the unwavering support extended by the US to India in its fight against terrorism. Looking forward to meeting him at an early date," Singh wrote on X. Speaking on Operation Sindoor, Singh said India reserves the right to respond to and defend against terrorism and pre-empt as well as deter any further cross-border attacks, people aware of the matter said on condition of anonymity. He also told Hegseth that India's actions during the four-day clash were measured, non-escalatory, proportionate and focused on disabling terrorist infrastructure, the people added. The two leaders had last spoken on May 1 when Singh told Hegseth that the Pahalgam terror attack in which 26 people were killed had exposed Pakistan as a rogue state that is destabilising the region and the world can no longer turn a blind eye to terrorism. The two leaders discussed a wide canvas of issues ranging from long-term cooperation in the defence sector, including training and military exchanges, to expanding the industry collaboration, the defence ministry said on Tuesday. Hegseth invited Singh to the US for talks to take the partnership forward....