Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to brief US President Donald Trump next week on Iran’s expansion of its ballistic missile program and on options for military strikes.
NBC News reported on Saturday that the meeting had been confirmed by a person with direct knowledge of the plans and by four former US officials briefed on the matter.
Israeli officials announced that a meeting between Netanyahu and Trump was set to occur on December 29, where, according to the sources cited by NBC, the prime minister will present the argument that Iran’s expansion of its ballistic missile program poses a threat to the entire region, including various US interests.
This comes a week after Trump hinted at potential talks with Iran while also warning the country against reconstituting either its ballistic missile or nuclear programs.
“But if they do want to come back without a deal, then we’re going to obliterate that one, too,” Trump said. “You know, we can knock out their missiles very quickly; we have great power.”
An Israeli diplomatic source told Walla that “we will leave the content of the meeting and the topics to be discussed for the meeting itself.”
US backed other Israeli plans against Iran during 12-day war
The Washington Post reported last week on further details of Israel’s 12-day war with Iran and the extent of American involvement, stating that the precision strikes carried out against Iranian nuclear scientists were approved and backed by the US.
Despite extensive preparation and Israeli security officials’ assertions that all possible measures were taken to limit civilian casualties, the operation was not flawless, the report noted.
Citing sources “familiar with the matter,” it wrote that while Israeli leadership thought seeking a diplomatic solution to the Iranian nuclear threat would have a beneficial effect on global public opinion, they were concerned Trump might agree to a bad deal.