India, Oct. 4 -- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has hailed Indian pilot Smit Machchhar as a "hero of the entire world" for thwarting an alleged attempt by his co-pilot to crash an Israel-bound flight and invited him and Prime Minister Narendra Modi to light a flame at Israel's Independence Day celebrations.

Netanyahu spoke to 38-year-old Machchhar by phone on Saturday as the pilot recovered in a UAE hospital from injuries sustained during the attack in the cockpit of flydubai flight FZ1073 on Wednesday.

"It's our highest honour that we give on our Independence Day. It's usually reserved for Israeli citizens, but I think here in this case, all the citizens of Israel will embrace you," Netanyahu told Machchhar, according to a v...