Netanyahu Offers Modi ‘Private Advice’ on Handling Trump’s Tariffs, Hails Israeli Role in Sindoor, and Pitches Defence & Travel Boost
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has waded into the escalating US–India tariff dispute, offering Prime Minister Narendra Modi “some advice” on dealing with Donald Trump, but with a caveat: it would be given “privately.”
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| File Photo Source: MIB India |
“Modi and Trump are terrific friends of mine. Yes, I would give Modi some advice (on dealing with Trump), but privately,” Netanyahu said with a smile, adding that he hoped the two nations would find “common ground” on trade.
“The basis of the (India–US) relationship is very solid. Resolving the tariff issue will be in the interest of both India and the US, and good for Israel, too, as both countries are our friends.”
The Israeli leader’s comments come at a sensitive juncture for India, which has rejected US criticism of its Russian oil imports as “unjustified and unreasonable” and is facing the prospect of further economic retaliation from Washington.
With India and Brazil now both under steep US tariffs, analysts see a pattern of strategic pressure on BRICS members, potentially pushing them toward deeper cooperation.
Netanyahu also used the occasion to underscore Israel’s growing role in India’s defence capabilities, claiming that Israeli military equipment played a key role in Operation Sindoor, a recent counterterrorism and cross-border operation — and “worked well” under battle conditions.
“Israel supplied military equipment to India before (Op Sindoor). All of them worked well. Israeli equipment used during Operation Sindoor were battle proven,” he said.
Beyond defence exports, Netanyahu offered to help India enhance its air surveillance and counterterrorism systems, noting the challenge of monitoring such a vast territory.
“India is a huge country and it is not easy to have surveillance all over. We are ready to help India in air surveillance systems,” he said.
“Besides intelligence, we need the physical capability to get the terrorists before they strike. You have to act before what is likely to come and being hatched by them.”
In a nod to strengthening people-to-people links, Netanyahu expressed interest in visiting India “soon” and proposed establishing direct flights between Tel Aviv and Bengaluru, which would cut travel time to just six hours, even shorter than a Tel Aviv–San Francisco flight.
Such a link, he argued, would benefit trade, tourism, and technology exchange.
The remarks underline Israel’s strategic balancing act, reaffirming friendship with both Washington and New Delhi while offering security cooperation at a moment when India’s relations with the US are under tariff strain.
For Modi, Netanyahu’s offer of “private advice” may be more than just a humorous aside; it could be an opening for backchannel diplomacy at a time when trade disputes risk spilling into broader geopolitical fault lines.