Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu invites Indian pilot Smit Machchhar to participate in Israel’s Independence Day celebrations. According to reports, Netanyahu speaks with Machchhar and extends an invitation connected to Machchhar’s role in aviation security after an incident involving a Dubai–Tel Aviv flight.
Several outlets say Netanyahu also reaches out to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi as part of the same Independence Day event. Reports describe the invitation as tied to Machchhar being hailed for his actions and to his expected role in lighting a celebratory flame or torch. Coverage differs slightly in emphasis: one outlet focuses on Netanyahu’s invitation to Machchhar, while others frame the outreach as both to Modi and Machchhar and connect it more directly to the purported thwarting of a terrorist attack.
The reports collectively situate the invitations within Israel’s Independence Day program and present Netanyahu’s outreach as a public acknowledgement of Machchhar’s actions and, in some accounts, Modi’s involvement in the ceremony.
