Trump-Netanyahu meeting set amid Iran war strains and home pressure

Jerusalem,UPDATED: Jul 28, 2026 10:58 IST

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is due to meet President Donald Trump on Tuesday in their first meeting since the two leaders launched a joint war against Iran. The meeting comes at a time when both men are facing pressure at home, and it also gives Netanyahu a chance to address strains in his relationship with Trump.

Netanyahu is up for re-election and is under pressure in part because of his worsening ties with Trump. Trump, meanwhile, is facing calls to end an unpopular war that has hurt the economy and pushed up prices ahead of the US midterm elections in November. According to a White House official, the two leaders are also expected to discuss the framework agreement the US and Israel signed with Lebanon over the Israel-Hezbollah war, as well as the expansion of the Abraham Accords. Asked on Monday if he and Netanyahu were on the same page on Iran, Trump said: "We have a little difference. But pretty close, yeah."

Trump and Netanyahu have had a hot-and-cold relationship over the years, but after Trump returned to the White House last year, their alliance appeared stronger than ever. When they began the war together in February, they presented a united front and said their militaries were acting in lockstep to remove Iran's leadership and pave the way for a government more friendly to the West. But Iran fought back by sending drones and missiles into US bases and high-rises in Gulf cities, while also choking off the Strait of Hormuz. Trump then came under heavy pressure at home and from allies in the region to bring the conflict to an end.

Since then, Netanyahu, who wanted to continue the fighting in Iran and against its ally Hezbollah in Lebanon, has been pushed aside as Trump sought a deal with Tehran. His visit to the White House comes after differences with Trump and Vice President JD Vance over the war in Iran and other issues became public. Israeli journalist and political analyst Amit Segal wrote in Israel Hayom on Monday: "The Americans are making it clear to the Israelis they are the ones who are running the war. It is clear to everyone that Israel has been put in the back seat."

With tensions between the US and Iran rising again in recent weeks, Netanyahu plans to share Israeli intelligence on Tehran's nuclear programme with Trump, according to a person familiar with the visit. In an interview on Fox News Channel's "Sunday Morning Futures" with Maria Bartiromo, Netanyahu said he hoped to sit down with Trump "to hear what he has in mind" for Iran. "Because I think, in many ways, it's his decision" on how to move forward, Netanyahu said. "If he can do so without returning to intense military fighting, that's fine. Why not?" He added: "But one way or the other, they have to end their nuclear programme," referring to Iran. Netanyahu also warned Iran against attacking Israel, saying the response would be "very forceful".

Even as Netanyahu sees an opening, he also needs to convince Trump that he will not disrupt US diplomatic and reconstruction efforts in Gaza and Lebanon, where Trump has previously complained that "too many people are being killed" in Israeli strikes. Israel has taken some recent steps in both places. In Lebanon, where the Israeli military occupies much of the south, Israel agreed to allow the Lebanese army to deploy to some villages under a "pilot program" to test its ability to secure areas where Hezbollah once operated. The US State Department said on Monday that the next round of talks between Israel and Lebanon would be held in Rome next week and would focus on expanding the programme.

On Gaza, Israel's security cabinet approved on Sunday a measure that would, in theory, allow the first members of an international stabilisation force, set out last year in a US-backed ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas, to enter the territory. However, few countries have offered troops, and Israel would clear their entry on a case-by-case basis. The troops, including from Morocco and Uganda, would only be allowed to operate in a small, desolate area in southern Rafah, where the plan is to screen and house some displaced Palestinians. The Israeli military is continuing strikes that it says target militants but which have also killed civilians.

Support for Israel has also weakened sharply in the United States, especially over its conduct in Gaza. In June, Vance warned Israeli officials that Trump was their only friend among world leaders. Vance is expected to attend Tuesday's meeting with Netanyahu, according to a person familiar with the plan. An AP-NORC poll published earlier this month found a sharp fall in support for Israel among American adults. Ben Caspit, a political commentator for Maariv, wrote: "We've lost America. Thank you, Bibi." The meeting is therefore set against pressure over Iran, Gaza and Lebanon, as well as a clear strain in ties between Trump and Netanyahu.

With PTI Inputs

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