Wary of appearance that Israel is driving war, Trump and Netanyahu opt to avoid optics altogether

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu entered the White House through a side entrance for his meeting with US President Donald Trump, eschewing the customary public greeting and press availability. This deliberate choice to minimize public optics signals a joint effort to avoid the perception that Israel is once again drawing the United States into a conflict with Iran.

The subdued nature of the meeting contrasts sharply with previous encounters between the two leaders. On February 11, a high-profile meeting in the Situation Room reportedly led to Netanyahu's pitch for a US-Israeli joint strike against Iran, which commenced 17 days later. However, many of the predicted outcomes of that campaign, such as the swift destruction of Iran's ballistic missile program or its inability to disrupt traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, did not materialize.

Currently, the US faces the risk of prolonged engagement in Iran with no clear exit strategy and without achieving its initial objectives. President Trump recently halted nearly two weeks of strikes on Iran, which had prompted retaliatory attacks on US bases across the region, stating a desire to allow space for diplomatic talks. Trump has also indicated he is still considering a large-scale offensive if a deal is not reached amid ongoing disagreements over operations in the Strait of Hormuz.

A highly publicized meeting with Netanyahu on the eve of such an offensive could reinforce the belief that Israel holds significant sway over Trump's decision-making. The article suggests that Israel desires a resumption of strikes against Iran, but the current approach aims to manage the international perception of US involvement.