Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had offered to help India address the 50 per cent tariffs imposed by the United States, saying that he would give Prime Minister Narendra Modi "some advice" on handling Donald Trump. He then humorously added that this advice would be given in "private".

He also said that Israeli weapons had been used in Operation Sindoor and that "all of them performed well". He further offered to help India improve its "surveillance" system to combat cross-border terrorism.

Speaking to the media on Thursday, he said that he wished to visit India "soon". He also expressed Israel’s interest in starting direct flights between Tel Aviv and Bengaluru, noting that the travel time would be only six hours, which would be shorter than a flight to San Francisco.

Talking about the ongoing deadlock over the trade agreement and the tariff imposition, the Israeli Prime Minister said that India and the United States needed to find common ground. With a touch of humour, he remarked that he would give Prime Minister Modi some advice on dealing with Donald Trump, "but in private".

"Modi and Trump are great friends of mine. Yes, I would offer Modi some advice (on how to deal with Trump), but in private," PTI reported him as having said.

"There is a fundamental understanding between India and the US. The foundation of the relationship is extremely strong. It would be in India's interest as well as the US' to come to a consensus and solve the tariff issue. It will be in Israel's interest too, as both the nations are our friends," he said.

Netanyahu said that Israeli military equipment supplied to India had worked well during Operation Sindoor and noted that defence cooperation between Israel and India was growing steadily.

"Israel provided military gear to India prior to (Op Sindoor). All of them functioned well. Battle-proven Israeli equipment utilised during Operation Sindoor," he said.

On dealing with cross-border terrorism, he said, "India is a vast country and it is not possible to have surveillance everywhere. We are willing to assist India in air surveillance systems. Apart from intelligence, we need the physical capability to nab the terrorists before they hit."

"You always have to be ahead of the curve, you don’t allow them to break you, you have to act before what is likely to come and being hatched by them," he added.