"Narendra, my friend, congratulations," Israeli PM Netanyahu rings PM Modi after BJP win; Watch Video

Netanyahu Thursday became the first world leader to congratulate Modi for scripting an "impressive victory" in the general elections and vowed to strengthen their "great friendship" as well as bilateral ties.

Image: Twitter

New Delhi: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu telephoned Indian PM Narendra Modi after his landslide victory in the Lok Sabha elections and addressed him as “my friend”. PM Modi led the BJP to get a thumping majority in polls keenly watched across the world,  and was all et to touch the 300-seat mark in the 543-member Lok Sabha. "Narendra, my friend, congratulations! What an enormous victory!” Netanyahu can be seen speaking over phone, in a video posted by him on Twitter. “I hope, Narendra, that we can see each other soon, as soon as you form a government and as soon as we form a government,” he said. The right-wing bloc in Israel registered a victory in the parliamentary elections, winning 65 out of 120 seats, with Netanyahu's Likud party bagging 35 seats, five more than the last general elections in 2015. However, the Israeli prime minister lamented over the difficulties faced by him in forging a coalition after he was assigned the task by President Reuven Rivlin. "Well, thank you for your congratulations on my victory, but there's one difference: You don't need a coalition, I do," Netanyahu said over the phone.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called to congratulate Indian Prime Minister @NarendraModi on his election victory. "Narendra, my friend, congratulations! What an enormous victory!" pic.twitter.com/MzhQRb3q26

— PM of Israel (@IsraeliPM) May 23, 2019

The Israeli PM has to cobble together a coalition before the final deadline of May 28. He had sought a two-week extension to put a coalition together after having failed to reach an agreement with supporting parties in the 28 days' time given by Rivlin. Netanyahu Thursday became the first world leader to congratulate Modi for scripting an "impressive victory" in the general elections and vowed to strengthen their "great friendship" as well as bilateral ties. "Greetings from the depth of my heart dear friend on your impressive victory in the elections," Netanyahu tweeted in Hebrew, Hindi and English. "The election results are a re-approval of your leadership and the way you lead the world's greatest democracy. Together we will continue to strengthen the great friendship between us and India and Israel and lead it to new heights," he tweeted. The personal chemistry between the two leaders has been widely discussed in the media in both India and Israel.