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United States President Donald Trump said that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu could visit the White House as soon as next week, his first visit since the start of the US-Israel war against Iran.
On Saturday, Trump told Axios reporters that Netanyahu had requested a meeting.
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The US president also said that the White House meeting could take place after returning to the annual NATO meeting, which is being held this year in Ankara, Turkey on July 7 and 8.
But the meeting comes as tensions between Trump and Netanyahu have come to the fore.
Israel has opposed efforts under the Trump administration to negotiate a ceasefire with Iran, and Trump has publicly criticized Netanyahu for Israel’s attacks on Lebanon, threatening to end any deal.
In his brief telephone interview with Axios, Trump reportedly dismissed any suggestion of a rift between the two leaders, while asserting his influence over Netanyahu.
“We get along very well. (Netanyahu) knows who the boss is,” Trump told Axios.
The US and Israel have been allies for a long time. The US was the first world government to recognize Israel in 1948, and in the decades since, Israel has been the largest recipient of US foreign aid of any country since World War II.
In 2016, the US issued a memorandum pledging to give Israel $38bn in military aid over ten years, the largest package of its kind, and has continued to provide Israel with other military aid in recent years, including in the midst of the genocidal war in Gaza.
During Trump’s second term as President, the US joined Israel in two wars against Iran: one in June 2025 and another that began on February 28.
The latest conflict, however, has been widely condemned as an act of unprovoked aggression, in violation of international law. Trump has also faced domestic pressure for deploying US troops without Congressional approval.
A June 24 poll from Quinnipiac University, for example, found that 60 percent of US voters considered the war against Iran “not necessary”, compared to only 34 percent who said they would approve of the war.
In the same survey, 48 percent of respondents said the US is supporting Israel too much.
The numbers coincided with Trump’s low approval rating, a bad sign as his Republican Party campaigns to retain control of Congress in November’s midterm elections.
The Trump administration, however, has defended its intervention in the war by saying it prevented Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon, something Tehran has previously denied.
The agency maintains that its uranium enrichment program is purely for civilian use.
However, Trump and his administration have tried to end the war, announcing a two-week ceasefire on April 8 that was extended indefinitely.
On June 17, the US and Iran also signed a 14-point agreement (MoU) to end tensions, although its implementation was not seen.
Since the memo’s approval, the US and Iran have exchanged fire over the trade route through the Strait of Hormuz, and Israel has continued to attack southern Lebanon, violating its constitution.
Trump has expressed dismay at Israel’s strikes on Lebanon, which has prompted Iran to threaten to close the Strait of Hormuz.
In early June, Trump confirmed to the New York Post that called Netanyahu “f***ing crazy” on the phone with the Israeli leader, referring to what he did in Lebanon.
“I’m a little disappointed with his constant fighting with Lebanon,” Trump told the Post.
But the US has not changed Israel’s policies, and Trump emphasized to the newspaper that his relationship with Netanyahu remains strong.
He said: “We worked very well together.”
When Netanyahu arrives in Washington, DC, this month, it could be a sign his seventh visit in the US under Trump’s second term.
No other head of state has made as many visits to the US as Netanyahu since Trump returned to office in January 2025.
The last time Netanyahu visited was in February, before Israel and the US started fighting Iran in the current war.
Netanyahu and his former defense minister, Yoav Gallant, are still subject to arrest by the International Criminal Court. Neither the US nor Israel, however, to recognize the jurisdiction of the court.
