Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has invited FlyDubai pilot Captain Smit Machchhar and Prime Minister Narendra Modi to light a celebratory flame at Israel's next Independence Day ceremony, describing the Indian pilot who foiled a mid-air attack as a hero of India, Israel and the entire world, during a telephone conversation with him on Sunday.

"Captain, I want to invite you and my dear friend, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, to light a celebratory flame on our next Independence Day. You are a true hero of the brave peoples of India and Israel, and you're a hero of the entire world," Netanyahu told the Captain. "I wish you a very speedy and complete recovery," he added.