WASHINGTON—President Donald Trump is hosting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House for a bilateral meeting on July 28.
Netanyahu is expected to discuss concerns about Iran and share intelligence regarding Tehran’s continued ambitions to develop nuclear weapons.
Senior Israeli officials told Epoch Magazine Israel that the meeting is significant and will likely influence the next phase of the conflict with Iran. They stated that Netanyahu will present Trump with intelligence showing Iran’s continued secret advancement of its nuclear and ballistic missile programs.
The intelligence suggests that funds released under the memorandum of understanding (MOU) between Washington and Tehran could support further development of Iran’s nuclear and missile programs and finance its regional proxies, the officials said.
Hours before the meeting, Trump joined Fox & Friends by phone and criticized the Israeli leader for sharing the intelligence with the media in advance.
When asked about reports that Netanyahu planned to discuss satellite imagery and intelligence suggesting Iran is actively constructing and fortifying Pickaxe Mountain, Trump said he didn’t need Bibi to tell him that.
“Bibi’s telling me that because he wants me to stay involved. … We have the greatest cameras in the world. … We know exactly what’s going on,” the president said.
“I heard Bibi announce that. I said, ‘Why don’t you just tell it to me? Why do you have to announce it to the world?’ I know exactly what’s going on at Pickaxe. It’s not a big problem. We took out their nuclear sites, and we’ll have to take out Pickaxe if we don’t make a deal.”
The Israeli sources told Epoch Magazine earlier that Netanyahu will present his position cautiously so as not to appear to be pushing Trump to resume the war. They said the meeting is intended to allow Israel to raise its concerns directly with the president without turning their disagreements into a public confrontation.
A White House official told The Epoch Times on July 27 that Trump will “discuss the conflict in Iran, progress with the Trilateral Framework in Lebanon, and expanding the Abraham Accords” during his meeting with Netanyahu.
The occasion will mark the first face-to-face meeting between the two leaders since the start of the war with Iran in February.
Israeli officials said that before the visit, Israel took several actions in different areas to show it is making progress as agreed with the Trump administration.
Earlier this week, Israel said it would allow an international security force to be deployed in the Gaza Strip as part of the U.S. plan to stop the fighting. The move was approved by the security cabinet.
In addition, on July 21, Israel began redeploying some of its forces in southern Lebanon, in line with understandings reached with the Lebanese government through U.S. mediation and as part of a plan to set up so-called pilot zones.
Israeli officials told Epoch Magazine Israel that the talks between Netanyahu and Trump will cover not just Iran, but also recent events in Syria, Lebanon, the Gaza Strip, and the West Bank.
This will be the eighth time the two leaders have met face to face during Trump’s second term in office.
Tuesday’s meeting comes after the United States
paused
military strikes on Iran over the weekend after targeting Iranian military assets for 13 consecutive days.
The Trump administration said the pause was intended to create space for negotiations with the regime.
“In our meeting, we will discuss all the issues on the table, with Iran at the forefront,” Netanyahu wrote in his social media post on July 27.
“Our goal is clear: to safeguard Israel’s security, strengthen its power, and expand the circle of peace around us.”
Netanyahu also gave a preview of the July 28 meeting in a video message on Monday.
“From my experience as prime minister, during these complex times we must act with both great determination and great wisdom,” he said. “We will discuss all the issues on the agenda, first and foremost, Iran.”
Netanyahu said he will also pay his respects to the late Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) during his visit to the United States. Graham passed away after a sudden illness on July 11.
He described Graham as “one of Israel’s greatest friends of all time.”
Timothy Frudd contributed to this report.
