NEW DELHI, India (Diya TV) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has invited Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Flydubai captain Smit Machchhar to light a ceremonial torch at Israel’s Independence Day celebrations next year.
Netanyahu announced the invitation after a phone call with Modi on Thursday. “I invited him to light the torch alongside a brave Indian pilot,” Netanyahu wrote on X. He said Modi thanked him, but India’s official readout did not confirm whether the prime minister would attend. It said the leaders discussed their countries’ partnership and recent developments in West Asia. Modi called for “dialogue and diplomacy” and the two leaders agreed to stay in touch.
The invitation recognizes Machchhar’s actions during an attack aboard Flydubai Flight FZ1073, traveling from Dubai to Tel Aviv on Sept. 30. The United Arab Emirates’ prosecutor general said the co-pilot attacked Machchhar with a crash axe and tried to take control of the aircraft.
In an interview from a hospital in Abu Dhabi, Machchhar said he first thought the aircraft had suffered structural damage. He then realized someone was attacking him. “The next thought was I need to get help in here,” he told The National. He freed himself from his seat belt, tried to block the blows and reached for the cockpit door while calling for help.
The plane plunged about 16,000 feet in 30 seconds, Reuters reported. Machchhar managed to open the cockpit door, allowing others to overpower the co-pilot. Two other pilots aboard took control and landed the plane safely in Saudi Arabia. Machchhar later said, “I was not very sure that I’ll make it out alive from this. Did I give up? No.”
Netanyahu had invited Machchhar and Modi to the ceremony during an earlier video call with the captain. Thursday’s call gave him a chance to extend the invitation directly to Modi. The official torch-lighting ceremony takes place on Mount Herzl in Jerusalem on the eve of Israel’s Independence Day. Modi’s February visit to Israel marked his second as prime minister; the two governments described their relationship as a “Special Strategic Partnership.”
