US President Donald Trump has said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has requested a meeting at the White House, with talks likely to take place next week after Trump's return from the NATO summit.
Speaking to Axios, Trump described his relationship with Netanyahu as strong.
"We get along very good. [Netanyahu] knows who the boss is," Trump said during a brief phone interview, referring to himself.
If held, the meeting would be the first face-to-face talks between the two leaders since their February meeting at the White House, which took place before the joint US-Israeli war on Iran.
An Israeli official said next week could be too soon because of Trump's trip to Türkiye for the NATO summit on July 7-8, saying the meeting “might take place the week after.”
Netanyahu's office said the Israeli prime minister spoke with Trump by phone on Friday to congratulate the United States on the country's 250th Independence Day.
Despite the public display of goodwill, reports suggest some people close to Trump have become increasingly sceptical of Netanyahu in recent months.
The two leaders have also seen their strategic priorities and domestic political interests diverge during the war and broader regional developments.
Netanyahu hopes a White House meeting will give him a political boost as he begins campaigning for Israel’s October elections, with opinion polls currently showing him trailing his rivals.
Trump also said he had been following the funeral of former Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, who was assassinated on the first day of the conflict in a joint US-Israeli attack.
