Netanyahu: My Meeting With Trump Was 'Excellent'

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he had an "excellent" meeting with President Donald Trump at the White House on Tuesday, their first sitdown since launching a joint war against Iran that offered Netanyahu a chance to smooth out strains in their relationship, per the AP. The closed-door meeting lasted nearly an hour and a half and was "positive and productive," White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said. The White House did not immediately offer more details.

An Israeli official briefed on the meeting said Netanyahu made it clear to Trump and his Cabinet that if Iran were to attack Israel, they would respond, but that beyond that, they would trust the judgment of the president regarding next steps. Despite signs of tension between the two before the meeting, Netanyahu was effusive afterward in a post on Instagram, noting that the meeting included Trump's senior team. "When I say excellent, I don't mean it in a superficial way," Netanyahu said in Hebrew. "A conversation with full partnership, with mutual support, with an understanding of the common goal of ensuring that Iran does not have nuclear weapons, and other goals as well."