Narendra Modi: Talks with Netanyahu, urges West Asia peace

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu discussed developments in West Asia and the urgent need to restore peace and stability during a telephone call, the Prime Minister’s Office said. Modi reiterated India’s call for dialogue and diplomacy, while both leaders reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening the India-Israel Special Strategic Partnership.

Netanyahu initiated the call, according to the Prime Minister’s Office statement. The leaders welcomed the sustained momentum in relations between the two countries and expressed their shared commitment to developing the partnership further.

Hindustan Times reported that the conversation took place on Thursday. The Indian statement described an exchange covering bilateral relations and regional developments, without identifying particular conflicts, peace proposals or negotiating processes discussed by the leaders.

The statement attributed the appeal for dialogue and diplomacy specifically to Modi. It described the urgent need to restore regional peace and stability as a position emphasised by both leaders. It did not announce an agreement, a mediation initiative or a timetable for further talks.

Netanyahu’s invitation features in his account

Netanyahu’s public account included an invitation that did not appear in the Indian readout. According to Hindustan Times, he said in social media posts in Hindi and Hebrew that he had invited Modi to light a torch on Israel’s Independence Day alongside Indian pilot Smit Machchhar.

Hindustan Times reported that neither Modi’s social media post nor the Indian government statement mentioned the invitation. The two accounts differed in the details they disclosed, but did not set out conflicting positions on the invitation.

According to Hindustan Times, Netanyahu also said Modi had thanked him for the invitation and spoken about India and Israel fighting terrorism together. Those remarks were Netanyahu’s account of Modi’s response; they were not included in the Prime Minister’s Office statement.

The Indian readout does not establish that Modi accepted the invitation or that a visit has been scheduled. Its announced outcome was the reaffirmation of the bilateral partnership and the leaders’ shared concern about regional stability.

February visit provides context for bilateral ties

The telephone conversation follows Modi’s visit to Israel on 25 February 2026. CNA reported that he arrived for a two-day visit intended to deepen relations at a time of mounting concern over a possible military conflict between the United States and Iran.

Addressing Israel’s parliament during that visit, Modi expressed solidarity with Israel and reiterated India’s opposition to terrorism, according to CNA. He also backed the US plan to end the war in Gaza, saying it could help bring peace to the region, including by addressing the Palestinian issue.

CNA reported that Modi’s parliamentary address called for dialogue, peace and stability but did not mention Iran or the US military build-up. The report described the visit as taking place while the United States deployed naval forces near Iran amid an impasse in talks over Tehran’s nuclear programme.

That February account provides background to the diplomatic position reiterated in the telephone call. The Prime Minister’s Office statement about the call did not identify a particular negotiating process that Modi wanted the parties to pursue.

Lebanon negotiations remain part of the regional backdrop

The regional backdrop includes unresolved negotiations concerning Lebanon. Security Council Report, in its October 2026 Monthly Forecast on Lebanon, described continuing hostilities despite a Trilateral Framework signed by Lebanon, Israel and the United States on 26 June.

According to Security Council Report, the framework envisaged the Lebanese Armed Forces progressively assuming security responsibilities in designated areas of southern Lebanon. This was to follow verification that non-state armed groups and their weapons infrastructure were absent, enabling Israeli forces to progressively withdraw from Lebanese territory.

The forecast said the parties had not yet agreed on the third party that would carry out that verification. It also reported that a negotiating round anticipated for mid-September had been postponed until October. Those were the circumstances described in the forecast, not an announced outcome of the Modi-Netanyahu conversation.

A separate unresolved question concerned international arrangements in southern Lebanon after the termination of the UN Interim Force in Lebanon, or UNIFIL. Security Council Report said council members were considering possible arrangements to support the continued implementation of resolution 1701, which called in 2006 for a cessation of hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah.

The forecast described proposals for an international coalition and a possible European civilian-military mission, while noting that important details remained unsettled. According to Security Council Report, the proposed European mission would focus on advising and training Lebanese security forces rather than taking over UNIFIL’s tasks.

Security Council Report also described Lebanon’s concern that the withdrawal of UNIFIL without a successor arrangement could leave a security vacuum. It reported that Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, in his 25 September address to the UN General Assembly’s general debate, called for a successor force to preserve monitoring, reporting and liaison functions.

The Prime Minister’s Office did not say whether Lebanon, UNIFIL or any specific peace framework came up during the telephone call. Its statement did not specify how the leaders proposed to advance their stated objective of restoring peace and stability in West Asia.