Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday described India as one of Israel's strongest supporters, rejecting recent remarks by US Vice President JD Vance suggesting that the United States is Israel's only "powerful ally."
Speaking in an interview with Fox News, Netanyahu said Israel continues to enjoy broad backing from India.
"We have some other friends, like a small country called India. It has 1.4 billion people, and boy, do we have a tremendous support there," the Israeli leader, who has received significant backlash from around the world over the wars his country has been engaged in with Gaza, Iran, and Lebanon.
Netanyahu also expressed admiration for the US leadership, saying he respected Vice President JD Vance while describing President Donald Trump as the "greatest friend" Israel has ever had in the White House.
"But it doesn't mean that I agree with everything that he (Vance) says and I have to point out this," he said.
His comments follow Vance's recent warning that Israel should avoid antagonising what he called its "only powerful ally."
The Israeli Prime Minister went on to claim that Facebook is filled with messages of support for Israel from users in India, adding that the country enjoys the backing of numerous other nations as well.
Without identifying specific countries, Netanyahu argued that it has become "fashionable" on social media in some places to circulate "anti-Israeli, anti-Semitic material."
He said that, despite such online sentiment, leaders from those countries privately contact him to sign agreements or request military guidance.
"So the relations are not quite as they appear, and we have, we have many, many friends," Netanyahu said.
Vance made his remarks during a White House press briefing while defending the US memorandum signed with Iran last month, which he described as a major breakthrough toward ending the war. His comments appeared to indicate a shift in the US approach to Israel as ceasefire negotiations with Iran continued.
"If I was in the cabinet of the Israeli government, I might not be attacking the only powerful ally that I have anywhere left in the entire world," Vance said.
**Netanyahu Clarifies Stance On Lebanon**
Although the US-Iran memorandum includes a provision calling for Israel to withdraw its forces from Lebanon, Israel has not complied despite multiple ceasefire announcements.
Addressing the issue on Sunday, Netanyahu said some Christian villages in southern Lebanon had requested annexation by Israel, claiming they sought protection from Hezbollah militants.
"Christian villages in Lebanon, some of them have actually asked to be annexed to Israel, because we protect them against the Hezbollah, Hezbollah fanatics who want to kill them, and we do the same things with Christians everywhere," Netanyahu told Fox News.
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