On Wednesday, February 25, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will travel to Israel for a two-day state visit. Prime Minister Modi’s counterpart, Benjamin Netanyahu, made the announcement last week, saying the trip would help forge a new alliance against what he described as “radical” opponents.
“On Wednesday, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will come here to give a speech in the Knesset,” Netanyahu said at the start of a cabinet meeting on Sunday, referring to Israel’s parliament.
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Responding to Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu’s heartfelt message ahead of Netanyahu’s visit on Wednesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he looked forward to their discussions.
Netanyahu welcomed the growing ties between the two countries.
“The fabric of relations has tightened and (Modi) is coming here so that we can tighten it even more,” he said, citing economic, diplomatic and security cooperation.
PM Modi visited Israel as Prime Minister in 2017 before Netanyahu reciprocated his visit to India the following year. Netanyahu said the Israel-India axis would be part of a broader regional alliance called the “hexagon” to counter common “radical” adversaries.
What is a “hexagon” of alliances?
The “Hexagon of Alliances” is a proposed six-nation strategic framework initiated by Netanyahu to strengthen economic, diplomatic and security cooperation across West Asia and the Mediterranean. Its aim is to counter Iranian influence (the “radical Shia axis”) and other regional threats.
The bloc includes Israel, India, Greece, Cyprus and undisclosed Arab/African nations.
“In the vision that I see before me, we will create a whole system, essentially a ‘hexagon’ of alliances around or within the Middle East. This includes India, Arab nations, African nations, Mediterranean nations (Greece and Cyprus) and nations in Asia, which I will not detail at this time,” Netanyahu said, adding that he would elaborate on his plan in the future.
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“The intention is to create an axis of nations that see eye-to-eye the reality, the challenges and the goals against the radical axes, both the radical Shia axis, which we have hit very hard, and the emerging radical Sunni axis,” he said.
No government has yet endorsed the alliance
So far, no government has endorsed the plan – or its sectarian framework. In fact, two of the three countries named by Netanyahu – Greece and Cyprus – are members of the International Criminal Court (ICC), which has an arrest warrant for Netanyahu for war crimes in Gaza and would be legally required to arrest him if he steps foot there, Al Jazeera reported.
Andreas Krieg, associate professor of security studies at King’s College London, told Al Jazeera that the Israeli prime minister may be overselling his idea.
“An unnamed Arab/African/Asian component may exist in the form of ad hoc security coordination and transactional diplomacy, but not necessarily in a way that resembles a NATO-style pact or treaty. It is not an alliance,” he said.
“Against the Axis of Resistance”
Some reports suggest Netanyahu is seeking to replicate what he describes as his “victories” against the “Shia Axis” — also known as the “Axis of Resistance” — an informal, Iran-centric network of allied groups that oppose Israeli and Western influence in the Middle East.
At its core is Iran, which backs Hezbollah in Lebanon — long considered the most powerful non-state actor in the region, linked to Tehran before Israel killed most of its leadership in 2024.
During the Gaza War, Israel also engaged in heavy fighting with Iran-backed Shiite groups in the region, which attacked Israel in support of Hamas, whose deadly attack on Israel on October 7, 2023 sparked the Gaza War.
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Arch-enemies Israel and Iran also clashed last June in the first direct confrontation of the 12-day war, in which the Israeli and US militaries attacked Tehran’s nuclear facilities and ballistic missile arsenal.
“All these nations share different perceptions and our cooperation can bring great results and of course ensure our resilience and our future,” Netanyahu said of the emerging alliance.
(With input from agencies)
