Calling Netanyahu a "great friend of India", Modi said he would like to take the bilateral ties to newer heights with his Israeli friend.

"My dear friend Bibi, Congratulations! You are a great friend of India, and I look forward to continuing to work with you to take our bilateral partnership to new heights," Modi tweeted, tagging Netanyahu.

The two prime ministers share a personal rapport. In 2017, Modi became the first Indian PM to visit Israel, where Netanyahu received him at the airport.

Netanyahu appeared to be headed towards a historic fifth term as Israel's Prime Minister on Wednesday, with close-to-complete unofficial election results giving his right-wing Likud and other nationalist and religious parties a solid majority in parliament.