Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Israel on Wednesday for a two-day visit, as regional concerns mount about the threat of military conflict between the US and Iran.
His Israeli host and counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu is seeking to coax Mr Modi into a “hexagon” of allies in the region.
"It is indeed a historic visit to Israel. I’m confident it will add new momentum to the bilateral friendship between our nations," Mr Modi, who became the first prime minister in India's history to visit Israel in 2017, said in a post on X on Wednesday.
Mr Netanyahu and his wife, Sara Netanyahu, greeted Mr Modi after he left his plane. They laughed and embraced on a red carpet as a trumpet fanfare sounded, Israeli media said.
“Welcome, my friend,” Mr Netanyahu was heard saying to his counterpart, before the two stood for the Israeli national anthem, flanked by military personnel.
Mr Netanyahu and Mr Modi are to hold a private meeting at the airport before travelling to Jerusalem, where Mr Modi will also become the first Indian prime minister to address Israel's parliament, the Knesset.
Mr Netanyahu told his cabinet the visit will lead to more “economic co-operation, diplomatic co-operation and security co-operation”. India’s ambassador to Israel, JP Singh, told The Jerusalem Post that the “very historic” visit will open a new phase in the relationship.
Before the trip, Mr Netanyahu described a “hexagon of alliances around or within the Middle East” that Israel is seeking to form, to oppose “both the radical Shiite axis, which we have hit very hard, and also the emerging axis: the radical Sunni axis”.
He said the hexagon would include India, Greece and Cyprus and other countries in the Arab world, Africa and Asia. “These countries all share a different perception, and co-operation between us can yield very great fruits and also, of course, ensure our strength and future,” he added.
Israel's standing abroad has been badly damaged by its military assault on Gaza, which has killed more than 72,000 Palestinians and led to accusations of genocide. India recognises Palestinian statehood but has held back from heavy criticism of the war.
Mr Modi's visit comes as the US deploys a vast naval force near Iran's coast ahead of possible strikes on the Islamic Republic, with the two countries at an impasse in talks over Tehran's nuclear programme.
The Pentagon has also deployed an aircraft carrier to the Mediterranean, bound for Israel's coast.
A US attack on Iran could draw Iranian retaliation targeting Israel as well as US military facilities in Gulf Arab countries, where millions of Indians live and work and send home billions of dollars of remittances each year.
