Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday joined Prime Minister Narendra Modi at a solemn ceremony at which the iconic war memorial at a roundabout near Teen Murti Bhavan in Delhi was renamed Teen Murti-Haifa Chowk to pay homage to Indian soldiers who sacrificed their lives in the battle of Haifa in Israel during World War I.

The two leaders drove to the Teen Murti Chowk straight from the airport shortly after Netanyahu’s arrival in India on his six-day visit. Present at the memorial to receive the two leaders were Army chief Gen Bipin Rawat and Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar, among others. The two leaders laid a wreath and signed the visitor’s book at the memorial. The Israeli PM’s wife, Sara, also was there at the ceremony.

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Modi later tweeted that he and Netanyahu “paid tributes to the brave Indian soldiers who fought at Haifa” and “laid down their lives during the liberation of the city,” the third largest in Israel.

“The spot where we commemorate their sacrifice will now be called Teen Murti-Haifa Chowk,” he wrote. “This year we mark 100 years of the end of the World War 1. We remember with pride, the Indian soldiers who fought valiantly in the war,” he said.

The war memorial ~ originally called the Imperial Service Cavalry Brigade Memorial ~ was unveiled in March 1924 in honour of cavalry troopers of princely states in British India.

The three stone and bronze statues represent the Hyderabad, Jodhpur and Mysore Lancers who were part of the 15 Imperial Service Cavalry Brigade who fought for the liberation of Haifa from German and Ottoman (Turkish) soldiers in September 1918.

Netanyahu calls India a world power: Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Israeli counterpart, Benjamin Netanyahu, on Sunday traded tweets lauding the growing relationship between their two countries even as the Jewish leader called India a world power.

The two leaders are known for actively communicating and maintaining a dialogue with international leaders on twitter.

Shortly after greeting the Israeli PM at the airport, Modi tweeted in Hebrew: “Welcome to India, my friend Prime Minister Netanyahu. Your visit to India is historic and special. This will strengthen the close ties between our countries.’’

Netanyahu was quick to respond in a tweet of his own in which he re-tweeted Modi’s Hebrew greeting and added, “Thank you to my good friend, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who surprised me with a personal welcome at the airport upon my arrival in India. Together, we will bring the relations between our countries to new heights.’’

In another tweet, the Israeli leader said: “My first visit to India, a world power that is strengthening its relations with Israel. I am excited about this historic week that will further strengthen Israel’s international standing.”

Modi and Netanyahu have established a remarkable chemistry between them and this was evident from the manner in which they hugged each other at the airport. Modi will devote a good part of the next four days with Netanyahu, which is quite rare for any leader visiting India.