Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said Israel enjoys “tremendous” support from India, pushing back against US Vice President JD Vance’s recent claim that the United States is Israel’s “only powerful ally”.

Speaking in an interview with Fox News, Netanyahu highlighted India’s backing for Israel while responding to Vance’s remarks.

“We have some other friends, like a small country called India, you know, it has 1.4 billion people and, boy, do we have tremendous support there.”

The Israeli Prime Minister also pointed to the support he receives from Indian users on social media.

“You know, I have this Facebook thing, and I have overwhelming support there. I may have many others.”

India-Israel ties remain strong

Netanyahu’s comments come against the backdrop of close ties between India and Israel. Earlier this year, he described Prime Minister Narendra Modi as a “personal friend” and called India a “global power”.

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During his state visit to Israel in February, PM Modi said India stood with Israel “firmly with full conviction”. The visit took place two days before Israel and the US launched a surprise attack on Iran, which later escalated into a wider conflict.

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu greet each other as he departs after concluding his state visit, in Jerusalem, in February 2026. File image/ANI

Netanyahu responds to JD Vance’s remarks

Netanyahu’s response followed comments made by JD Vance during a press briefing, where the US Vice President criticised Israel over reports that members of the Israeli government had questioned President Donald Trump’s efforts to end the Iran war.

“Donald Trump is the only head of state in the entire world who is sympathetic to the nation of Israel at this moment in time,” Vance had said, per a report by Hindustan Times.

“If I was in the cabinet of the Israeli government, I might not be attacking the only powerful ally that I have left, anywhere in the entire world.”

Vance also said that most of the weapons protecting Israel over the past three months had been supplied and funded by the United States.

Responding to those remarks, Netanyahu said he respects the US Vice President but does not agree with everything he says. He also claimed that countries often approach Israel seeking military, artificial intelligence and cyber expertise.

Reports of US-Israel differences

Speculation over differences between the US and Israeli leadership has continued in recent months, particularly during efforts to end the Iran conflict.

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Last month, Axios reported that Trump referred to Netanyahu as “f**king crazy” and accused him of being ungrateful. More recently, Trump told Axios that the Israeli Prime Minister knew “who the boss is”.

“We get along very good. (Netanyahu) knows who the boss is,” Trump said during a phone interview.

FAQs:

What did Benjamin Netanyahu say about India?

 He said Israel enjoys “tremendous support” in India and called it one of Israel’s friends.

Why did Netanyahu respond to JD Vance?

He disagreed with Vance’s claim that the US is Israel’s only powerful ally.