President Donald Trump will meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House on July 28, marking the first face-to-face meeting between the two leaders since the start of the war with Iran in February.
The war in Iran is expected to be the primary issue discussed by the leaders.
Netanyahu announced on Monday that Iran would be at the forefront of the meeting.
Trump said on July 24 that the U.S. military was “locked and loaded” and that he was considering a massive attack against Iran.
However, he said he was not in a hurry and that negotiations with the regime remained ongoing.
A White House official told The Epoch Times on July 27 that Trump will “discuss the conflict in Iran, progress with the Trilateral Framework in Lebanon, and expanding the Abraham Accords” during his meeting with Netanyahu.
It will be the eighth time the two leaders have met face-to-face during Trump’s second term in office.
Netanyahu announced his departure for Washington on Monday morning in a social media post and described the trip as both a “great honor” and a “great responsibility.”
Trump and Netanyahu worked together in the early weeks of the Iran War as the United States and Israel launched joint military operations against the regime in Tehran.
The two countries carried out a joint strike on Feb. 28, which killed Iranian leader Ali Khamenei and many of Iran’s senior military leaders.
The strike marked the start of what the United States called Operation Epic Fury and Israel called Operation Roaring Lion.
Tuesday’s meeting comes after the United States paused military strikes on Iran over the weekend after targeting Iranian military assets for 13 consecutive days.
The Trump administration said the pause was intended to create space for negotiations with the regime.
“In our meeting, we will discuss all the issues on the table, with Iran at the forefront,” Netanyahu wrote in his social media post on July 27.
“Our goal is clear: to safeguard Israel’s security, strengthen its power, and expand the circle of peace around us.”
Netanyahu also gave a preview of the July 28 meeting in a video message on Monday.
“From my experience as prime minister, during these complex times we must act with both great determination and great wisdom,” he said. “We will discuss all the issues on the agenda, first and foremost, Iran.”
Netanyahu said on Monday that he will also pay his respects to the late Sen. Lindsey Graham, who died on July 11, during his visit to the United States.
He described Graham as “one of Israel’s greatest friends of all time.”
In June, Netanyahu said that he sometimes had “tactical disagreements” with Trump. However, he said the two leaders have “common goals” and “agree on the main things.”
Trump clashed with Netanyahu in June over Israel’s military campaign against Hezbollah, an Iran-aligned terrorist group in Lebanon.
Hezbollah carried out attacks on Israel following the start of the joint U.S. and Israeli military strikes against Iran on Feb. 28.
Israel launched ground operations in southern Lebanon in October 2024 in response to Hezbollah’s attacks along Israel’s border with Lebanon after terrorist group Hamas attacked southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.
Israel has maintained a military presence in Lebanon since the launch of its ground operations in 2024.
Trump confirmed last month that he had scolded Netanyahu in a phone call and urged the Israeli military to restrain its campaign against Hezbollah. The phone call came after the United States and Iran had agreed to a ceasefire on April 7.
“I was a little bit perturbed at him, constantly fighting with Lebanon. You know, at some point I said, ‘Bibi, we’ve got to stop this,’” Trump said.
The president was asked by reporters on July 27 whether he was on the same page as Netanyahu on the issue of Iran. In response, he said, “We have a little difference, but pretty close.”
Trump described Netanyahu as a “wartime prime minister” and said the two leaders “did very well together” following the launch of the joint airstrikes against Iran in February.
The U.S. president told reporters that Iran was only eight percent of what the regime was at the beginning of the conflict.
“Iran took a beating over the last 14 days, and they asked us very nicely, ‘Please stop. Let’s meet.’ And that’s where we are right now … If we don’t make a deal, we go back to the same thing,” he said.
Trump and Netanyahu last met face-to-face on Feb. 11.
Ryan Morgan and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
