Netanyahu heads to Washington for first Trump meeting since Iran war began

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is travelling to the White House for his first in-person meeting with US President Donald Trump since the Iran war began. The talks are expected to focus first and foremost on Iran, with both leaders also due to discuss a US-sponsored framework deal and other regional issues. It will be their first face-to-face meeting since the conflict started, although they have met eight times since Mr Trump returned to office last year.

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Mr Netanyahu said before departing Israel that the visit was both a privilege and a responsibility. He said the two leaders would discuss "all the issues on the agenda, first and foremost Iran", adding that Israel's goal was to safeguard its security and expand the circle of peace around it. The meeting comes after months in which relations between the two men have at times appeared strained, even as both sides have sought to play down the tensions.

The war began with US-Israeli strikes on Iran in late February, according to the supplied report, and Washington says it wants to give negotiations a chance. Israel has not taken part in the latest round of hostilities between the United States and Iran, which flared earlier this month after an April ceasefire collapsed. The leaders are also expected to discuss the implementation of a framework deal signed by Israel and Lebanon last month, whose application on the ground has been difficult.

The talks matter because they come at a sensitive point in the wider regional conflict. The war has already affected diplomacy between Washington and Jerusalem, and the White House meeting is likely to be read as a signal of whether the alliance remains aligned on strategy. It also comes as efforts to restart reconstruction in Gaza remain stalled, while the humanitarian situation there remains severe nearly three years after the war between Israel and Hamas began.

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The relationship between Mr Trump and Mr Netanyahu has been publicly tested in recent months. The supplied report says Mr Trump used profanity-laced criticism during April ceasefire negotiations and later described Mr Netanyahu as a "very difficult guy". Mr Netanyahu has characterised those exchanges as tactical disagreements, saying the two leaders remain aligned on the war's goals.

An international relations expert quoted in the report said the visit is intended to show there is no major break between the allies. What remains unclear is whether the meeting will produce any immediate shift in policy on Iran, Lebanon or Gaza. The practical implementation of the Israel-Lebanon framework deal is still proving difficult, and diplomatic efforts on Gaza are at a standstill.

The outcome of the talks will be watched for signs of whether Washington and Jerusalem can present a united front as the conflict continues.

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