New Delhi: Five days before Israelis vote in a pivotal election, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has publicly invoked his friendship with Narendra Modi, inviting the Indian prime minister to join him in lighting Israel’s Independence Day torch next year, even as Modi’s account of their phone call stressed the urgent need to restore peace and stability in West Asia.Netanyahu announced the invitation on Thursday in posts on his personal X account in Hindi and Hebrew, accompanied by a photograph of the two leaders embracing. He said he had spoken to his “friend” and invited him to light the ceremonial torch alongside an Indian pilot praised for foiling an attempted hijacking.Modi, however, made no mention of the invitation in his own account of the conversation. In a post on X, he said the two leaders had reviewed the momentum in bilateral ties and reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening the partnership. “We also exchanged views on recent developments in West Asia and underscored the urgent need to restore peace and stability in the region,” he wrote, reiterating a call for dialogue and diplomacy.שוחחתי עם חברי, ראש ממשלת הודו נרנדרה מודי, והזמנתי אותו להשיא משואה יחד עם הטייס ההודי הגיבור ביום העצמאות של מדינת ישראל.מודי הודה לי על ההזמנה ואמר כי על הקרקע ובאוויר, הודו וישראל נלחמות יחד בטרור. הוא הביע את הערכתו לקשר האמיץ ורב השנים בינינו. 🇮🇱 🇮🇳— Benjamin Netanyahu – בנימין נתניהו (@netanyahu) October 22, 2026Netanyahu wrote that Modi had thanked him for the invitation and praised the relationship between the two countries. “Modi thanked me for the invitation and said that, on the ground and in the air, India and Israel are fighting together against terrorism,” he wrote.However, it remains unclear whether the Indian side accepted the invitation, as Modi made no public mention of it in his post.The invitation is for Israel’s Independence Day celebrations in May 2027, nearly seven months away.Modi’s remarks about the restoration of peace are notable amid renewed concerns over the possibility of a wider regional conflict, with reports that Netanyahu has been pressing US President Donald Trump to consider renewed military action against Iran.Received a phone call from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. We reviewed the sustained momentum in our bilateral ties and reaffirmed our commitment to further strengthening our partnership.We also exchanged views on recent developments in West Asia and underscored the urgent need to restore peace and stability in the region.@netanyahu— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) October 22, 2026The war, which began with US and Israeli strikes on Iran on February 28, has continued on and off despite successive ceasefire efforts, with agreements reached in April and June breaking down amid renewed hostilities. Indirect negotiations between Washington and Tehran remain stalled, while reports of preparations for fresh US-Israeli strikes have raised fears of further escalation.The New York Times reported that the US and Israeli militaries had developed plans for fresh strikes on Iran following the US midterm elections. The Washington Post reported a day later that Netanyahu had called for “overthrowing” the Iranian regime once and for all and that President Trump had said a few days ago that the United States was “ready to finish the job” and would only do so with the help of Israel.The phone call also comes just days before Israel’s October 27 general election, the first since the Hamas-led terror attacks of October 7, 2023 and Israel’s subsequent military offensive in Gaza, which has killed thousands of Palestinians.Netanyahu, Israel’s longest-serving prime minister, faces a closely contested race in which his handling of security and the aftermath of the attacks is a central issue. Trump has recently endorsed Netanyahu, whose opponents have blamed him for the security failures preceding October 7.Netanyahu has repeatedly highlighted his relationships with powerful international leaders, including Trump and Modi, as part of his political messaging. In 2019, ahead of an Israeli election, his Likud party displayed campaign posters at its headquarters featuring him alongside Modi and Trump, projecting his ties with the two leaders as evidence of his international standing.