Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to fly to Washington on Saturday, primarily to attend the funeral of Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, a staunch supporter of Israel who died on Sunday. Israeli sources confirm the trip and say Netanyahu seeks a meeting with President Donald Trump, though a senior White House official stated that no such meeting is currently on the president’s schedule. The visit follows a phone call last week in which, according to US and Israeli officials cited by Axios, Trump told Netanyahu that Israel should begin redeploying its forces from Syria and urged a similar move in Lebanon, warning that the continued military presence “creates tensions that could lead to escalation.”

During that call, Trump reportedly said of Syria, “They don’t want you there. You should redeploy.” The Israeli prime minister’s office countered that Netanyahu “raised the need for security zones along Israel’s borders.” Syrian transitional President Ahmed al-Sharaa, who met Trump on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Ankara, told the US president that Israel’s refusal to include the word “withdrawal” in any agreement was blocking stability, according to a Lebanese newspaper account. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan separately conveyed to Trump that Israel constitutes the primary cause of regional instability. Lebanese officials, engaged in US-mediated talks in Rome, are demanding a clear timetable for an Israeli pullout from two pilot zones in the south, while Israel insists on verifying that Hezbollah weapons and infrastructure have been removed before any redeployment.

The visit is viewed in Israeli media as an effort to repair trust that has frayed since the war with Iran, with figures in Trump’s circle suggesting that Netanyahu’s assessments during the conflict proved inaccurate. The US administration has spent months attempting to broker a new security arrangement between Israel and Syria, but American officials concluded that Netanyahu was unwilling to offer concessions, including a gradual withdrawal from areas the Israel Defense Forces seized after the fall of the Assad regime in December 2024. The reimposition of a US naval blockade on Iranian ports this week adds further regional tension. With Israeli elections roughly three months away, senior members of the Israeli government favour maintaining long-term control over parts of southern Syria and southern Lebanon, arguing the deployments are necessary to prevent a repeat of the October 7 attack.

Netanyahu’s office said the two leaders agreed to “meet soon” during a congratulatory call for the 250th anniversary of US independence, but the White House has not confirmed a meeting. US-mediated negotiations in Rome between Israel and Lebanon are continuing, with the Lebanese army indicating readiness to deploy gradually. No timeline has been set for an Israeli withdrawal from Syrian territory, and the IDF has not yet begun redeploying from the Lebanese pilot zones. The funeral of Senator Graham provides the formal anchor for Netanyahu’s travel, while the substance of any discussions with Trump remains uncertain.