President Donald Trump concluded his meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House on Tuesday, with both leaders expressing satisfaction with the outcome. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed that both meetings were 'positive and productive,' while an Israeli official briefed on the Netanyahu-Trump meeting echoed the White House's comments, saying 'it was a very positive meeting, conducted in a good spirit together with senior members of the administration.' The Israeli official noted that 'the excellent chemistry between the leaders was evident,' and that 'the leaders also reiterated their shared objective that under no circumstances should Iran be allowed to have nuclear weapons.' The meeting, which began at 11:03 a.m. ET and concluded at 12:25 p.m. ET, addressed the war in Iran, progress on negotiations with Lebanon, and efforts to expand the Abraham Accords.
President Donald Trump pushed back on Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ahead of their Tuesday meeting, underscoring a strain in the relationship as he downplayed pressure to escalate the war with Iran. During an interview on Fox News' 'Fox & Friends', Trump was asked about reports of Netanyahu's plans to share intelligence regarding Iran rebuilding its nuclear program. 'I don't need Bibi to tell me that. Bibi is telling me that because he wants me to stay involved,' Trump said. The president told Fox News that he knows exactly 'what is going on at Pickaxe' Mountain, referring to an area believed to be an Iranian nuclear site, and insisted whatever Iran is doing is 'not a big problem.' Trump added, 'Why do you have to announce to the world?' flashing his frustrations with his ally. The US president separately shut down questions about Netanyahu's objection to F-35 fighter jet sales to Turkey, saying that 'nobody' dictates the sales but him.
With U.S.-Iran tensions flaring again in recent weeks, Netanyahu plans to share with Trump Israeli intelligence on Tehran's nuclear program, according to a person familiar with Netanyahu's visit. According to Business Standard, on Fox News Channel's 'Sunday Morning Futures' with Maria Bartiromo, Netanyahu said he hoped to sit down with Trump 'to hear what he has in mind' for Iran. Netanyahu said at the start of an Israeli Cabinet meeting Sunday that he and Trump would discuss the state of the Iran war, which shows no signs of reaching a resolution. This month, the U.S. carried out strikes for nearly two straight weeks, while Iran struck ships and American targets in the region. Netanyahu said on Fox News Sunday that the U.S. and Israeli intelligence services 'are working so close together that it's not that I'm going to present new information, but I think it's a good thing to have the opportunity to sit with our good friend President Trump and to hear what he has in mind, because I think in many ways it's his decision.' A White House official confirmed that the two leaders will discuss the Iran conflict, the trilateral agreement between the U.S., Israel and Lebanon as well as expanding the Abraham Accords. However, many of Trump's anti-interventionist allies fear Netanyahu may push the president into a new, more durable phase of war that could leave the U.S. embroiled in conflict for months, if not years.
The meeting comes amid growing concerns over the escalating Iran war, with four U.S. soldiers killed in recent days, bringing the total number of American troops killed during the war to 18. According to NBC News, the U.S. has carried out strikes for nearly two straight weeks, while Iran struck ships and American targets in the region. Mike Waltz, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, argued in an interview on 'Meet the Press' that the U.S. 'has everything that it needs to conduct this campaign as effectively as it needs to be.' Asked whether Trump had decided against escalating attacks on Iran, Waltz said that the president was giving talks between the two nations 'some space' but that all options remained on the table. The Defense Department is requesting that Congress approve an additional $67 billion in supplemental funding to expand weapons production and speed up delivery. At the same time, U.S. weapons stockpiles are diminishing and military commanders are allowing some Iranian missiles and drones to pass U.S. defenses to preserve the weapons supply. Netanyahu warned Iran against attacking Israel, saying Israel's response would be 'very forceful' if Iran attacks either directly or through proxies, either with ballistic missiles or UAVs or killer drones.
Even as Netanyahu sees an opportunity, he also needs to persuade Trump that he won't play spoiler to U.S. diplomatic and reconstruction efforts in Gaza and in Lebanon, where the president has previously complained that 'too many people are being killed' by Israeli strikes. As reported by Business Standard, in Lebanon, Israel agreed to allow the Lebanese army to deploy to some villages as part of a 'pilot program' testing their ability to secure areas where Hezbollah once operated. The U.S. State Department said Monday that the next round of talks between Israel and Lebanon will take place next week in Rome with a focus on expanding the program. The meeting also addresses the Abraham Accords, the agreements establishing diplomatic normalization between Israel and a handful of Arab countries. A recent agreement between Israeli and Lebanese governments has been criticized by observers as allowing for near-indefinite Israeli presence in the country, despite ultimately calling for Israel's withdrawal. Netanyahu will also attend the memorial service for the late Sen. Lindsey Graham, who was a staunch supporter of Israel and an Iran hawk. Netanyahu praised Graham in his remarks Sunday to his Cabinet, calling him 'a great friend of Israel' and noting it was fitting that they pay him this respect.
Israel has lost a significant amount of bipartisan support in the United States, particularly over its conduct in Gaza. In June, Vice President JD Vance warned Israeli officials that Trump was their only friend among world leaders. According to Business Standard, an AP-NORC poll published earlier this month found a dramatic erosion of support among American adults for Israel. Israeli journalist and political analyst Amit Segal wrote Monday in the daily newspaper, Israel Hayom, that ''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''It is clear to everyone that Israel has been put in the back seat'''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''' in the war against Iran. Former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon described the meeting as ''''''''''''''''DEFCON 1,'''''''''''''''' noting that Netanyahu has had twice as many visits to the White House in 18 months as Churchill had in all of World War II - with every one of them a disaster for America First. Despite Trump and notably his vice president showing more willingness to criticize Israel in recent weeks, Washington's policy of staunch military support has remained unchanged. The meeting comes as lawmakers continue to mull a defense budget that would integrate parts of the U.S. and Israel's militaries, with the package already passed by the U.S. House of Representatives. Trump has declined to say whether he supports Netanyahu for re-election, though he dodged a question earlier this month, saying that Netanyahu has been ''a great wartime president'' and ''a great wartime prime minister.''
