Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that no date has been set yet for his planned visit to Washington. Speaking to Fox News, Netanyahu acknowledged that there are differences of opinion between him and US President Donald Trump.
Assessing his relationship with Trump, Netanyahu said, "We agree on almost everything. Such disagreements can sometimes happen even among the best of allies."
The Israeli Prime Minister stated that they address their differences through open dialogue, saying, "We may have differences of opinion, but we usually discuss them in an open dialogue."
Touching on Trump's harsh criticism of him, Netanyahu said, "The President has his own style of expression, and so do I. But we are allies. We are excellent allies and we respect the United States."
Netanyahu added that his relationship with Trump is good and that they have a mechanism to resolve disagreements.
Regarding his expectations from the meeting with Trump in Washington, Netanyahu said, "We have not set a date for the visit yet, but I would like to see peace achieved with Lebanon."
Israel has been continuing its attacks on Lebanon since March 2, 2026. According to the Lebanese Health Ministry, 4,304 people have been killed, 12,203 wounded, and more than 1 million displaced in these attacks. While Israel has occupied some areas in southern Lebanon for decades, in the current assault it has advanced more than 10 kilometers into Lebanese territory.
Referring to the Abraham Accords that he implemented together with Trump, Netanyahu said, "Just as we moved forward together with the Abraham Accords... No one expected these agreements could be possible." Under these accords, Israel took normalization steps with the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Morocco, and Sudan.
On Iran, Netanyahu said, "Iran is not a friend of the United States. We must not allow it to acquire nuclear weapons or the means to deliver them."
Washington and Tel Aviv accuse Tehran of possessing nuclear and missile programs that pose a threat to Israel and US-allied regional countries. Iran, on the other hand, maintains that its nuclear program is peaceful, does not aim to produce weapons, and does not threaten any country. Israel, which occupies Palestinian territories and parts of Lebanon and Syria, is the only country in the region known to possess nuclear weapons, though it does not officially acknowledge it, and its nuclear facilities are not subject to International Atomic Energy Agency inspections.
Meanwhile, Netanyahu has been facing an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) since 2024 for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity committed during the war in Gaza. In order to end the war that the US and Israel launched against Iran on February 28, 2026, a memorandum of understanding was signed between Washington and Tehran on June 18, and negotiations are ongoing.
