Israeli sources told Yediot Ahronot that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to travel to Washington on Saturday evening for a meeting with US President Donald Trump, following the reimposition of US sanctions on Iranian ports.
According to the newspaper, Netanyahu hopes the meeting will help repair the trust between the two leaders, which has reportedly been strained in the aftermath of the war on Iran.
The report added that Trump has criticized Netanyahu’s handling of the conflict, amid growing criticism that many of the Israeli prime minister’s assessments during the war proved to be inaccurate.
Yediot Ahronot also reported that Netanyahu is expected to attend the funeral of Republican Senator Lindsey Graham next Tuesday. Graham, who died on Sunday, was widely known for his strong support of Israel.
The last meeting between Netanyahu and Trump took place on February 11 in the White House Situation Room.
Trump Urges Israeli Redeployment from Syria and Lebanon
Meanwhile, Axios reported on Thursday, citing US and Israeli officials, that Trump told Netanyahu during a phone call last week that Israel should begin redeploying its forces from Syria, while also encouraging a similar move in Lebanon.
According to the report, Trump warned that the continued presence of Israeli occupation forces in Syria “creates tensions that could lead to escalation,” adding that the same concern applies to Lebanon.
The phone conversation came one day after Trump met Syrian transitional President Ahmed al-Sharaa on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Turkiye.
According to Axios, the Trump administration had spent months attempting to broker a new security agreement between ‘Israel’ and Syria. However, US officials concluded that Netanyahu was unwilling to implement the concessions sought by Washington.
One of those concessions, US officials said, was the gradual withdrawal of Israeli occupation forces from areas in Syria that ‘Israel’ took control of in December 2024.
Source: Axios (edited by Al-Manar)