Netanyahu Plans White House Visit

With a backdrop of the Iran war escalating and a US-Saudi Arabia nuclear deal being announced, then thrown into doubt, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will meet with President Trump on Tuesday. The prime minister's office said he'll be coming to Washington to attend Sen. Lindsey Graham's funeral as well as for a session with Trump, Axios reports; Graham was a steadfast supporter of Israel. It will be the leaders' seventh Oval Office sit-down since Trump's return to the presidency, more than he's had with any other foreign leader. The meeting will be the first time Trump and Netanyahu have spoken in person since the war began in late February, per the Hill.

Trump is weighing a major military campaign against Iran that could involve Israel, per the Post, and a face-to-face with Netanyahu could shape both strategy and coordination. The visit may also signal no major Iranian escalation before then—or serve as cover, as past US-Israel announcements have sometimes preceded surprise strikes. Netanyahu had initially struggled to secure the meeting, despite pushing hard for one last week.