“I was deeply saddened by the passing of Silvio Berlusconi. My heartfelt condolences go to his family and to the people of Italy,” Netanyahu said on Monday in a statement released by his office.
Netanyahu referred to Berlusconi as “my friend” while praising his support for Israel, Xinhua news agency reported.
“Silvio was a great friend of Israel and stood by us at all times,” he added.
Berlusconi, a dominant figure in Italian politics for three decades, died on Monday at the age of 86 at the San Raffaele Hospital in Milan, after battling a series of illnesses since 2020.
–IANS
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