New Delhi: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday spoke to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, inviting him to light a torch alongside Indian pilot Captain Smit Machchhar on Israel’s Independence Day.
“I spoke with my friend, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and invited him to light a torch together with the heroic Indian pilot on the Independence Day of the State of Israel,” Netanyahu said in a post on X.
“Modi thanked me for the invitation and said that on the ground and in the air, India and Israel fight terrorism together. He expressed his appreciation for the courageous and long-standing relationship between us,” Netanyahu added.
Israel will observe Independence Day in 2027 from sundown on May 11 to sundown on May 12.
Captain Machchhar saved the lives of 174 people on board the flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv on September 30 by preventing a terror attack.
Gujarat’s Captain Machchhar was seriously injured when his Omani co-pilot attacked him inside the cockpit. The co-pilot brought down the aircraft rapidly and apparently wanted to crash the plane. However, Machchhar managed to open the cockpit door, allowing others to intervene and restrain the attacker. The plane subsequently made an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia.
Netanyahu, who spoke to Machchar and hailed him as a “true hero”, will honour the captain for his role in preventing a deadly terror attack aboard the flydubai flight.
PM Modi also spoke to Captain Machchhar on October 2, praising his courage and presence of mind during the cockpit attack.