Both India and Israel face threats from 'fanatic' Muslims and terrorism, Israeli Deputy Prime Minister Josef Lapid said on Wednesday.

The Israeli leader cautioned the 'moment terrorists laid hands on nuclear weapons the face of the world will change'.

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"We have agreed upon one subject, that is, fight against terrorism. We have developed arsenal for self-defence and some of it will be useful for India," he said delivering a lecture on 'The Global War Against Terror -- Israel and India' organised by the Indian Council of World Affairs (ICWA) in Delhi.

Stating that terrorism should be fought before it was too late, he said if the menace is left unchecked the 21^st century would witness a war between civilisations.

"What we are trying is not to scare mankind but to warn mankind of the dangers of terrorists armed with nuclear weapons," he said.

Lapid said Arab Islamic terrorism was dangerous for the whole world and not merely for Israel. "But, till the Eiffel Tower and the Big Ben stand, our friends in France and Britain cannot understand what we are saying," he said.

The visiting dignitary said that since India had been experiencing terrorism, its leaders understood him better than others.

He also said that during his current visit to India, matters relating to cooperation in other fields, including technology, commerce, water and information technology came up for discussion.