Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will travel to Washington on Monday for meetings with President Donald Trump after the United States paused strikes on Iran while\u00a0maintaining\u00a0an expanded military deployment in Israel and signaling it\u00a0remains\u00a0prepared for possible military action.\u00a0<\/p>\n
President Trump announced Friday night at the White House Correspondents\u2019 Association Dinner that he will meet with Netanyahu on Tuesday. Netanyahu\u2019s office later confirmed the visit, saying the prime minister will travel to Washington on Monday, meet with the president the following day, and attend the funeral of the late US Sen. Lindsey Graham.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The announcement came after the United States halted strikes on Iran following\u00a0nearly two\u00a0weeks of military action. Before the pause, tensions had raised the prospect that Israel could become directly involved in the conflict as President Trump warned of a \u201cmassive\u201d attack and Iran threatened to strike Tel Aviv if Washington targeted the Iranian capital.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Israeli officials had prepared for a major US strike on Iran overnight Friday that they believed could have expanded the conflict across the Middle East and drawn Israel into the fighting if Iran responded by launching missiles at Israeli territory.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Despite the pause in strikes, the United States continues to reinforce its military presence in Israel, with about 90 US aerial refueling\u00a0aircraft\u00a0and\u00a0additional\u00a0military assets now positioned across the country.\u00a0<\/p>\n
An Israeli official told Kan News on Saturday that President Trump appears to have delayed the planned \u201cdeadline\u201d to give Iran another opportunity to return to negotiations.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Kan News also reported that the United States appears to be preparing for a major strike on Iran that could be launched at any time if Washington decides to\u00a0proceed.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Senior Israeli officials told Kan News that Iran\u2019s supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, has adopted a\u00a0hard-line\u00a0position in negotiations with the United States, complicating efforts to reach an agreement.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Separately, The New York Times reported Thursday that Iran rejected Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi\u2019s proposal for a ceasefire. Citing Iranian sources, the newspaper said al-Zaidi met in Tehran with officials overseeing the negotiations, who rejected the proposal because Iran would not discuss a temporary ceasefire that did not fully resolve navigation rights through the Strait of Hormuz.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The Iraqi prime minister\u2019s office denied the report, calling the claims \u201cunfounded.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
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