Netanyahu Arrives at White House for First Meeting with Trump Since Iran War Began, Graham Funeral Next

WASHINGTON, D.C. (Kurdistan 24) - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrived at the White House on Tuesday for his first face-to-face meeting with President Donald Trump since the two leaders launched their joint war against Iran on Feb. 28, 2026, in a visit that carries significant diplomatic weight amid escalating US-Iran hostilities and mounting pressure on both governments at home.

As NBC News reported on Tuesday, Trump also met earlier in the morning with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, their second sit-down this month, before Netanyahu's arrival. Following the White House meeting, both Trump and Netanyahu are scheduled to attend the memorial service for the late Republican Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina at Washington National Cathedral, set for 2 p.m. on Tuesday. Trump is expected to deliver remarks at the cathedral alongside Fox News host Sean Hannity and other conservative figures.

The Times of Israel confirmed on Tuesday that the Trump-Netanyahu meeting is their eighth sit-down of Trump's second term. Still, their first since the war in Iran began, making it one of the most consequential bilateral meetings either leader has held this year. The White House said the meeting was being held away from cameras, at least initially.

A White House official told NBC News on Tuesday that the agenda covers three main areas: the ongoing war with Iran, the framework agreement the US and Israel signed with Lebanon over the Israel-Hezbollah conflict, and efforts to expand the Abraham Accords. The Lebanon framework agreement, signed on June 26, 2026, established a plan for Israeli forces to withdraw from southern Lebanon in pilot zones and for the disarmament of Hezbollah, with implementation already underway in three villages of the first pilot zone as of this week.

The meeting comes as Trump told Axios last Thursday that he is considering restarting major combat operations in Iran, including strikes larger than those carried out by the US and Israel against Iran before the ceasefire began in early April, a statement that signals Washington's patience with the current pace of the conflict may be approaching its limits.

The visit has been weeks in the making and was complicated by a period of notable tension between the two leaders. As Axios reported on July 16, 2026, Trump was described as "pissed off" by a Fox News interview in which Netanyahu criticized Trump's intention to sell F-35 fighter jets to Türkiye ahead of the NATO summit in Ankara, with one White House official saying Trump felt Netanyahu "had no right" to weigh in on that issue. Netanyahu subsequently cancelled an earlier planned trip to Washington before rescheduling following the death of Senator Graham on July 11, 2026, whom Netanyahu described as someone Israel had "lost one of its greatest friends."

Graham's death brought the visit back onto the calendar, with Netanyahu's office announcing on Friday, July 24, that he would travel to Washington to both meet Trump at the White House and attend the senator's funeral. The South Carolina Republican had been one of Israel's most vocal and consistent advocates in Congress across three decades of American political life.

Also, the Associated Press reported on Tuesday that Netanyahu's meeting with Trump is also a chance for the Israeli prime minister to smooth out the strains that have developed in their relationship over recent weeks, particularly over Türkiye, the pace of the Iran war, and questions over Israel's role in the US-Iran peace framework. Netanyahu is also facing an upcoming election at home and arrives in Washington seeking to demonstrate the durability of his relationship with the American president to a domestic audience watching closely.