Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump met at the White House for the first time since the start of the US-Israeli war against Iran, which gave Netanyahu the opportunity to try to ease the tension in their relationship, the Associated Press reported, quoted by BTA.
The closed-door meeting lasted almost an hour and a half and, according to White House spokeswoman Caroline Levitt, was "positive and productive". The White House and the Israeli prime minister's office have not yet provided further details.
The meeting took place against the backdrop of growing tensions at home for both leaders, the AP notes.
Netanyahu is preparing for elections and finds himself in a complicated political situation, in part because of deteriorating relations with Trump. The US president is under pressure to end the unpopular war that has caused economic chaos and skyrocketing prices ahead of US midterm elections in November.
Trump revealed some tension in his relationship with Netanyahu before the meeting began, after complaining about media reports that the Israeli leader planned to discuss intelligence with him about Iranian activities at the Kulang mountain in Iran, where a nuclear facility that Trump has repeatedly threatened to bomb is believed to be located.
"I know exactly what's going on at Kulang," Trump said in an interview on "Fox & Friends". He insisted that whatever Iran is doing there is "not a big deal" and that "Bibi is telling me this because he wants me to stay engaged".
"Why do you have to announce this to the whole world", Trump asked rhetorically, not hiding his disappointment with his ally.
Protesters outside the White House chanted "Netanyahu, you are a tyrant" and "Bibi, you are not welcome here".
According to a White House official, the two leaders also intended to discuss the framework agreement that the United States and Israel signed with Lebanon in connection with the war between Israel and "Hezbollah", as well as the expansion of the Abraham Accords.
"We have some differences", Trump said yesterday in response to a reporter's question about whether he and Netanyahu were on the same page on Iran. "But we are pretty close, yes," he added.
Trump has had a rocky relationship with Netanyahu over the years, but since he returned to the White House last year, their alliance has been stronger than ever, the AP notes. When they launched the war on Iran in February, the two leaders presented a united front and stressed that their armed forces were working in full sync to eliminate Iran's leadership and pave the way for a more Western-friendly government to come to power.