Netanyahu says Israel has many friends besides US

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu responded to remarks by U.S. Vice President JD Vance, who warned Israeli officials against criticising U.S. President Donald Trump over a potential Iran deal and said the United States was the "only powerful ally" Israel has left.

Speaking on the issue in an interview with Fox News, Netanyahu said he respected Vance but did not agree with all of his views.

"First of all, I respect JD Vance. We have a very good relationship, but it doesn’t mean that I agree with everything that he says," Netanyahu said.

The Israeli prime minister reaffirmed his strong support for Trump, describing him as Israel's closest ally in Washington.

"Donald Trump is a great, the greatest friend we’ve ever had in the White House, and I stand by that completely," Netanyahu said.

At the same time, Netanyahu rejected the suggestion that Israel relies solely on the United States for international support, pointing to its relationship with India.

“Secondly, we have some other friends, like ‘small’ country called India. You know it has 1,4 billion people. And boy, do we have a tremendous support there,” he said.

According to Netanyahu, Israel also enjoys support from numerous other countries, with foreign leaders regularly expressing their respect and willingness to strengthen cooperation.

“So the relations are not quite as they appear and we have many-many friends,” he added.

By Sabina Mammadli