First Meeting of US and Israeli Leaders Since Military Action Against Iran
On the 28th local time, U.S. President Trump met with visiting Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu at the White House. This is their first face-to-face meeting since the U.S. and Israel jointly launched a large-scale military operation against Iran at the end of February.
According to Israeli sources, the entire meeting lasted about an hour. The White House later issued a statement saying that the talks were "positive and constructive."
The Iranian nuclear issue is the core topic
According to senior officials from the Israeli Prime Minister's Office, the two leaders discussed several regional issues, with the Iranian nuclear issue becoming the core topic. Both the U.S. and Israel reiterated their joint commitment to "prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons" and exchanged views on strengthening U.S.-Israel relations and expanding cooperation opportunities in the Middle East.
Israel claims to have achieved "comprehensive coordination" during the meeting
After the meeting at the White House, the current head of public diplomacy at the Israeli Prime Minister's Office, Tzipi Hotovely, stated that Trump and Netanyahu achieved "comprehensive coordination" during this meeting.
Hotovely clarified that the two leaders never mentioned the issue related to the underground nuclear facility in Natanz, referred to by outsiders as "Gao Mountain." Previous reports claiming that "Israel presented intelligence related to the facility to the U.S. during the meeting" are completely untrue.
Hotovely stated that the U.S. did not exert any pressure on Israel, nor did it ask Israel to give up its military achievements in Lebanon or the Gaza Strip. The core purpose of Netanyahu's visit to Washington was to deepen strategic coordination with the U.S., rather than to attempt to directly involve the U.S. in the conflict.
There were no separate talks between the two leaders during the entire meeting, and all senior cabinet members participated. U.S. attendees included Vice President Pence, Secretary of State Rubio, Secretary of Defense Hegseth, CIA Director Ratcliffe, and U.S. Special Envoy for Middle East Affairs Wittekov; the Israeli delegation included newly appointed National Security Advisor Ben-Ezra, Ambassador to the U.S. Laitel, and other senior aides. Additionally, no joint press conference was held after the meeting, nor were any public media statements issued.
It is reported that prior to this meeting in the U.S., Netanyahu stated that the core goal of this trip was to discuss urgent issues such as the situation in Iran, aiming to ensure Israel's national security and expand the "circle of peace" in the region.
Reporter from the Central Station / Zhao Bing
U.S. President Trump met with Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu in Washington, D.C. on February 28 to discuss regional issues, focusing on Iran's nuclear program. The leaders reaffirmed their commitment to preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons and emphasized strengthening U.S.-Israeli relations. The meeting lasted about an hour and included participation from senior officials from both governments.
- Trump and Netanyahu met for the first time since the military operation against Iran in late February.
- The core topic of discussion was Iran's nuclear program.
- Both leaders reaffirmed their commitment to preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons.
- The meeting was described as positive and constructive by the White House.
- No separate talks were held between the two leaders, and all senior officials participated.