Netanyahu to Meet Trump Tuesday as Iran Combat Decision Looms
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- Netanyahu will meet Trump at the White House on Tuesday at Trump's invitation, per the Israeli PM's office, and will also attend the funeral service for the late Sen. Lindsey Graham.
- The meeting marks Netanyahu's seventh Oval Office sit-down with Trump since Trump returned to office a year-and-a-half ago — more than any other world leader, per Axios.
- Trump is considering resuming major combat operations in Iran that would likely include a joint military campaign with Israel similar to the launch of Operation Epic Fury on Feb. 28.
- Netanyahu is deeply unpopular in Washington among Democrats, Trump's close circle and the MAGA base, per Axios — complicating the optics of the visit.
- Netanyahu asked to meet Trump last week but didn't initially get an appointment; some White House officials said he tried to "will the meeting into existence" before the visit was confirmed.
- Axios notes that in previous rounds of escalation with Iran, both the U.S. and Israel issued statements about high-level visits as part of deception efforts ahead of military strikes.
- The fact that Netanyahu is coming to Washington next week could signal that no significant Iran escalation would take place before then.
Why it matters: The visit sits at the intersection of a pending U.S.-Iran military decision and a diplomatically awkward Netanyahu visit — he's met Trump more than any other leader yet faces hostility from Democrats, Trump's circle and the MAGA base. Axios's flagged precedent, where pre-strike visit announcements have served as deception, means the meeting's timing could either preview renewed joint strikes on Iran or signal a pause before Netanyahu even lands.
