The meeting between President Trump and Prime Minister Netanyahu aimed to mend their differences.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited the White House on July 28 (Washington time) for a face-to-face meeting with President Donald Trump. This was the first meeting between the US and Israeli leaders since the outbreak of the Iran war, coinciding with the US military's announcement that it had intercepted several missiles launched by Tehran.
According to AFP, the closed-door discussion lasted about an hour and a half and was described by the White House as positive and productive. This meeting between President Trump and Prime Minister Netanyahu took place as the two leaders were working to ease public disagreements related to the war.
In a video message following the meeting, Netanyahu asserted that it was one of the best conversations he had ever had with the US President. The Israeli Prime Minister also emphasized that the two sides discussed the shared goal of ensuring Iran could not acquire nuclear weapons. The Iran-Iran war began in late February 2026, with airstrikes by the US and Israeli coalition. However, recent fighting has temporarily subsided as Washington wants to create an opportunity for negotiations.
Also on July 28, Houthi forces in Yemen claimed to have used ballistic missiles targeting the Saudi Arabian oil tanker NCC Ghazal in the Red Sea. The group accused the ship of violating their blockade of the kingdom's ports. Saudi Arabia has not commented on the Houthi claim but said it intercepted drones targeting oil facilities in the east of the country, and accused Iranian-backed militias in Iraq of being responsible.
The U.S. Central Command announced that Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps launched multiple ballistic missiles in an attempt to launch a surprise attack on U.S. forces in the Middle East. However, all of these missiles were successfully intercepted. Prior to this, both sides had ceased fire over the weekend, following nearly two weeks of continuous nightly U.S. airstrikes against Iran, with Tehran responding with a barrage of missiles and drones targeting Washington's allies around the Persian Gulf.
Israel is not involved in the latest clashes between the US and Iran. These tensions flared up earlier this month when the April ceasefire collapsed. This was the eighth meeting between President Trump and Prime Minister Netanyahu since Trump's re-election in early 2025. The event took place just ahead of crucial elections later this year for both leaders, including the national elections in Israel and the US midterm elections.
The relationship between Trump and Netanyahu hit a low point in April during ceasefire negotiations with Iran, when Trump leveled harsh words at the Israeli Prime Minister. Trump later described Netanyahu in an interview as a very difficult person. However, Netanyahu downplayed the severity of these exchanges, calling them tactical disagreements and asserting that they remained fully in agreement on their shared goals in the conflict.
