On July 28, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrived in the United States to attend the memorial service of the late U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham. This marked his first visit to the U.S. since the outbreak of the U.S.-Israel conflict with Iran, during which President Donald Trump held a closed-door meeting with him at the White House.
According to reports from the Associated Press and The Times of Israel, during the meeting ahead of the memorial service, Netanyahu praised Graham as Israel’s “number one friend.” Trump swiftly corrected him, saying, “I’m the number one friend of Israel, Lindsey comes second.”
The Times of Israel reported that the meeting lasted about 90 minutes. Netanyahu afterward described it as “one of the best conversations” he’s ever had with Trump, calling it “a dialogue built on full partnership, mutual support, and consensus on shared goals—ensuring Iran does not acquire nuclear weapons and beyond.” The White House issued a statement saying the talks were “positive and constructive.”
According to senior officials accompanying Netanyahu, the atmosphere was warm, and the two sides discussed a range of regional issues covering all fronts, with a strong focus on Iran. They reaffirmed their shared commitment to preventing Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons and exchanged views on strengthening the U.S.-Israel alliance and expanding cooperation opportunities in the Middle East.
Zippi Hotovely, head of the Public Diplomacy Directorate at the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office, described the meeting as “excellent,” with “full coordination” achieved between the two sides. The discussion centered on the Iran issue and coordination between Washington and Jerusalem, and the expansion of the Abraham Accords was also mentioned.
She also clarified that the talks never touched on the so-called “Mountain of Pickaxes” (the Natanz underground nuclear facility), dismissing as completely false earlier claims that Israel had presented related intelligence to the U.S. during the meeting.
According to The Times of Israel, Trump had expressed concerns before the meeting that the widely publicized encounter might deepen the impression that “Israel is manipulating the U.S. and trying to drag it back into a full-scale war with Iran.”
Hotovely responded by saying that the U.S. did not exert any pressure on Israel, nor did it demand that Israel abandon its military achievements in Lebanon or the Gaza Strip. She emphasized that the core purpose of Netanyahu’s visit to Washington was to deepen strategic coordination with the U.S., not to drag America directly into conflict.
“Claims that Israel is pushing the U.S. to take some kind of action are completely baseless. The prime minister’s goal is to deepen coordination, not to force Trump to act one way or another. We don’t tell the U.S. president what to do,” she said.
According to reports, all senior cabinet members from both sides participated in the meeting throughout. The U.S. attendees included Vice President Vance, Secretary of State Rubio, Defense Secretary Hegseth, CIA Director Ratcliffe, and White House Middle East Envoy Witkoff. The Israeli side included new National Security Advisor Ben Ezra, Ambassador to the U.S. Lytle, and other senior aides. No joint press conference was held after the meeting, and no public media statement was issued.