Netanyahu Plans Washington Visit Amid Tensions Over Iran and Syria

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is scheduled to fly to Washington on Saturday night, aiming to meet with U.S. President Donald Trump early next week, according to Israeli sources. Although the meeting has not yet been confirmed, it is expected to take place on Sunday or Monday. Netanyahu seeks to restore trust with Trump following strained relations after the recent conflict with Iran, amid growing criticism from the U.S. administration that Netanyahu's assessments were flawed and may have contributed to the conflict's failure.

A key agenda for Netanyahu is to present Israel's intelligence ahead of upcoming negotiations between Washington and Tehran on a permanent nuclear agreement. Israel insists that the U.S. should demand not only a reduction in enriched uranium but also the removal of enriched uranium from Iranian territory and prevent Iran from retaining any uranium enrichment rights, which the U.S. appears to have softened on. Netanyahu also plans to emphasize the importance of including ballistic missile threats and Iran's support for proxy groups in any agreement.

Additionally, Netanyahu is expected to attend the funeral of Republican Senator Lindsey Graham in Washington next week, with the memorial service scheduled for Tuesday and the burial to follow in South Carolina, although the exact date remains unconfirmed.

Reports from Axios indicate that in a recent phone call, Trump urged Netanyahu to redeploy Israeli forces out of Syria and Lebanon, citing concerns that Israel's military presence there increases tensions and risks escalation. This call came shortly after Trump's meeting with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad during the NATO summit in Turkey. The Trump administration had sought a new security arrangement between Israel and Syria but concluded that Netanyahu was unwilling to make the necessary concessions, including a gradual Israeli withdrawal from Syrian territories captured since Assad's regime collapse in December 2024.