Benjamin Netanyahu arrives at the White House on Tuesday for a tense meeting with President Trump, a sit-down designed to paper over visible cracks in a relationship once celebrated as historically tight. The two leaders will tackle Iran policy, the Lebanon peace framework, and efforts to deepen the Abraham Accords, officials said. Trump will also host Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on the same day to discuss the war in Ukraine.
The Israeli prime minister arrives politically weakened. Public backing for his Iran strategy has eroded at home, and American support for his government's conduct has cratered. His cultivation of Trump, whom he has called "the greatest friend that the state of Israel has ever had in the White House," shows unmistakable strain.
The tension surfaced bluntly last month when Trump confirmed to the New York Post that he had called Netanyahu "f---ing crazy" during a phone call. Trump's irritation centered on Netanyahu's frequent disputes with Lebanon. "I was a little bit perturbed at his constantly fighting with Lebanon," Trump said. Netanyahu framed the disagreement as routine. "We sometimes have tactical disagreements," he said on Fox News. "We always find a way to work them out, and we do so as great friends."
More recently, friction has emerged over Iran itself. When asked Monday on Air Force One if he and Netanyahu aligned on Tehran, Trump said, "We have a little difference, but pretty close." The remark came after Netanyahu criticized Trump's decision to sell F-35 jets to Turkey. Trump brushed off the complaint. "Nobody tells me what we should be selling and not," he said.
The Iran conflict remains the meeting's central focus. The U.S. and Israel launched Operation Epic Fury in late February, and the campaign shows no path to resolution. This month alone, the U.S. conducted strikes for nearly two weeks while Iran struck American targets and ships in the region. Four American soldiers were killed in recent days, bringing the total killed during the war to 18.
Congress is scrutinizing how the administration manages the conflict. The Defense Department is requesting an additional $67 billion in supplemental funding to expand weapons production and accelerate delivery. U.S. weapons stockpiles are diminishing, and military commanders have allowed some Iranian missiles and drones to breach U.S. defenses to preserve inventory.
Mike Waltz, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, insisted on "Meet the Press" that the U.S. "has everything that it needs to conduct this campaign as effectively as it needs to be." He said Trump was giving talks between the two nations "some space" while keeping all options open.
Netanyahu signaled on Fox News Sunday that the meeting would serve to hear Trump's thinking rather than offer new intelligence. "The U.S. and Israeli intelligence services are working so close together that it's not that I'm going to present new information," Netanyahu said. He added a stark warning about Iranian retaliation. "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," he said.
Last week, Trump declared that Saudi Arabia must normalize relations with Israel through the Abraham Accords to secure his approval for a civil nuclear deal with the kingdom. Netanyahu endorsed the condition immediately. "Trump was absolutely right in stating that," he said on Fox News.
Netanyahu's visit also includes attendance at a memorial service for the late Sen. Lindsey Graham, a stalwart Israel supporter and Iran hawk. Netanyahu praised Graham during remarks to his Cabinet on Sunday. "He was one of Israel's greatest friends since its inception, and it is fitting that we pay him this respect," Netanyahu said.
The trip comes after New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani claimed the city lacks legal authority to arrest Netanyahu if he travels to the United Nations General Assembly in September. Mamdani called on the federal government to join the International Criminal Court and execute its arrest warrant for the prime minister. The U.S. is not an ICC member. Trump swiftly countered on Truth Social last week. "Netanyahu will not be arrested, in any way, shape, or form, while in the United States of America," Trump wrote. Netanyahu confirmed on Fox News Sunday that he intends to attend the General Assembly in New York.
Author Sarah Mitchell: "Netanyahu needs this reset with Trump badly, but a single Tuesday meeting won't fix the fundamental split over how aggressively to pursue Iran."
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