Trump and Netanyahu meet amid strains over Iran war

President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu are set to meet at the White House on Tuesday for their first face-to-face talks since the United States and Israel launched a joint war against Iran, a sit-down that comes as public pressure and visible strains test their alliance.

The leaders are expected to discuss the conflict with Iran, a framework agreement for peace in Lebanon and efforts to expand the Abraham Accords, a White House official said. Trump is also scheduled to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Tuesday to discuss the war in Ukraine, the official said.

Netanyahu has repeatedly called Trump “the greatest friend that the state of Israel has ever had in the White House,” but their relationship has appeared tense in recent weeks. Asked Monday aboard Air Force One about Netanyahu’s criticism of his decision to sell F-35 jets to Turkey, Trump said, “Nobody tells me what we should be selling and not.”

Asked whether he and Netanyahu were aligned on Iran, Trump said, “We have a little difference, but pretty close.”

The meeting follows a reported heated phone call last month in which Axios said Trump called Netanyahu “f—ing crazy.” Trump later confirmed the report was accurate in an interview with the New York Post, saying, “I was a little bit perturbed at his constantly fighting with Lebanon.” Netanyahu, asked about the confrontation, said the two leaders sometimes have “tactical disagreements.”

“We always find a way to work them out, and we do so as great friends,” Netanyahu said.

The war with Iran has intensified pressure on both leaders. NBC News reported that four U.S. soldiers were killed in recent days, bringing the number of American troops killed in the war to 18. NBC News has also reported that U.S. weapons stockpiles are diminishing and that U.S. military commanders have allowed some Iranian missiles and drones to pass U.S. defenses to preserve supplies. The Defense Department is seeking congressional approval for $67 billion in supplemental funding to expand weapons production and speed delivery.

Mike Waltz, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, said on NBC’s “Meet the Press” that the United States “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 the president was giving talks between the two nations “some space,” while keeping all options on the table.

Netanyahu said Sunday on Fox News’ “Sunday Morning Futures” that U.S. and Israeli intelligence services “are working so close together that it’s not that I’m going to present new information,” but that he wanted “to hear what he has in mind, because I think in many ways it’s his decision.” He added: “If Iran attacks Israel, either directly or through proxies, either with ballistic missiles or UAVs or killer drones, it will make a terrible mistake, because our response, Israel’s response, will be very, very forceful.”

NPR reported that Netanyahu also plans to share Israeli intelligence on Tehran’s nuclear program with Trump, according to a person familiar with the visit. “One way or the other, they have to end their nuclear program,” Netanyahu said of Iran on Fox News.

Lebanon and Gaza are also expected to be part of the discussion. NPR reported that Israel has agreed to allow the Lebanese army to deploy to some villages in southern Lebanon as part of a “pilot program” testing its ability to secure areas where Hezbollah once operated. The U.S. State Department said the next round of Israel-Lebanon talks will take place next week in Rome.

On Gaza, NPR reported that Israel’s security cabinet approved a measure Sunday that could allow the first members of an international stabilization force into a limited area in Rafah, with Israel approving entry on a case-by-case basis.

The leaders are also expected to discuss expanding the Abraham Accords. Trump said last week that Saudi Arabia must normalize relations with Israel through the accords before he would approve a civil nuclear deal with the kingdom. Netanyahu said Trump was “absolutely right in stating that condition.”

During his U.S. visit, Netanyahu is also expected to attend a memorial service for the late Sen. Lindsey Graham, whom he called “a great friend of Israel.” Netanyahu has said he intends to travel to New York for the U.N. General Assembly in September. Trump wrote last week that Netanyahu “will not be arrested, in any way, shape, or form, while in the United States of America,” after New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani called on the federal government to join the International Criminal Court and execute its arrest warrant for Netanyahu.