Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke with his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi and invited him to participate in Israel’s Independence Day celebrations alongside Indian pilot Smit Machchhar,
whom he described as heroic.
In a post on Instagram, Netanyahu said Modi thanked him for the invitation and highlighted the close counterterrorism cooperation between the two countries.
“I talked to my friend, Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi, and invited him to hold a beacon along with the heroic Indian pilot of the country’s Independence Day Israel. Modi thanked me for the invitation and said that on the ground and in the air, India and Israel are fighting terror together. He expressed his appreciation for the brave and long-standing relationship between us,” Netanyahu wrote.
In a post on X, Modi said the two leaders reviewed the sustained momentum in bilateral ties and reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening the partnership.
“We also exchanged views on recent developments in West Asia and underscored the urgent need to restore peace and stability in the region,” Modi wrote.
Machchhar was seriously injured on September 30 after allegedly being attacked by his co-pilot, an Omani national, with a crash axe aboard flydubai flight FZ1073, which was travelling from Dubai to Tel Aviv.
The aircraft, carrying 174 passengers, reportedly transmitted emergency signals before making a rapid descent of more than 17,000 feet from an altitude of 34,000 feet. Machchhar, who was injured in the cockpit, reportedly realised that the aircraft was descending and made what was described as “one last push” to open the cockpit door.
Following the incident, Netanyahu spoke with Machchhar and praised him as a “true hero”.
“You are a hero for Israel, India and the entire world. I invite you to light a torch on Israel’s Independence Day,” Netanyahu had told the pilot.
