Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will meet US President Donald Trump at the White House on Tuesday, with Iran expected to be one of the key issues on the agenda amid reports that Washington is weighing the possibility of resuming joint military campaign with Israel.
According to Axios, Trump is considering restarting major combat operations in Iran that could include a joint military campaign with Israel similar to the launch of Operation Epic Fury on February 28. The report said Netanyahu’s visit could play a significant role in Trump’s decision-making and military coordination between the two allies.
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Iran expected to dominate talks
Ahead of his departure for Washington, Netanyahu confirmed that Iran would feature prominently in his discussions with Trump.
“Tomorrow I will fly to Washington to meet, at his invitation, with President Trump, and afterwards to participate in the memorial service for a great friend of Israel, the late Senator Lindsey Graham. I will also discuss all pending issues with President Trump, including the situation in Iran,” Netanyahu said at the start of Israel’s weekly government meeting, according to ANI.
The Israeli prime minister also said he would attend the memorial service for Graham, describing the late senator as “one of Israel’s greatest friends since its inception.”
Trump and Netanyahu have met six times in the Oval Office since Trump returned to office around 18 months ago, more than any other world leader. However, the Axios report noted that Netanyahu has become increasingly unpopular in Washington among Democrats, some members of Trump’s inner circle and sections of the MAGA base.
According to the report, the timing of Netanyahu’s visit could indicate that no major escalation with Iran is expected before the meeting. At the same time, the report cautioned that during previous rounds of tensions with Iran, both the United States and Israel had publicly announced high-level visits as part of deception efforts ahead of military strikes.
Visit follows weeks of speculation
The Israeli Prime Minister’s office said Netanyahu would leave for Washington on Monday at Trump’s invitation for an official visit and meet the US President at the White House on Tuesday.
Axios reported that Netanyahu had sought a meeting with Trump last week but was initially not given an appointment. He later said he postponed his trip because the memorial events for the late Senator Lindsey Graham had been rescheduled.
The report added that while some White House officials believed Netanyahu had tried to “will the meeting into existence”, discussions over a possible Oval Office meeting gathered pace later in the week. Trump eventually said on Thursday that he would meet Netanyahu if the Israeli leader was in Washington for Graham’s memorial.
Other issues on the table
Besides Iran, Netanyahu said he would discuss Israel’s security operations in the occupied West Bank.
“Our directives are to enter the villages, sweep them, seize weapons, and make arrests,” he said, adding that Israeli forces had also entered a hospital in Nablus where “two accomplices were hiding.”
“The terrorist’s home has been sealed in preparation for demolition. The homes of the other accomplices were also mapped out in preparation for action against them, and we are also prepared to operate on a broader scale against the terrorist nests,” he said, according to ANI.
Netanyahu also criticised the International Criminal Court (ICC), alleging that corruption within the institution had been exposed following the removal of Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan.
Netanyahu further said he had spoken to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who, according to him, reaffirmed Washington’s intention to act against the ICC.
“I spoke with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio last night, and he reiterated to me the US intention to act firmly against this organisation, which endangers justice in the world and also threatens the right of democratic, sovereign states to exercise their sovereignty and essentially attempts to subjugate their security to the decisions of a corrupt bureaucracy in The Hague,” Netanyahu said.
(With inputs from agencies)
