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

During a recent meeting, US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu opted for a low-key encounter, with Netanyahu using a side entrance and no public statements, to avoid the perception that Israel is driving US involvement in the conflict with Iran. This comes after a previous meeting in February was followed by a joint US-Israeli campaign against Iran, which did not achieve many of Netanyahu's reported predictions. Trump has since halted strikes on Iran to allow for talks, though he is still considering a renewed offensive. A US official stated that Israel desires a resumption of strikes but does not want to be seen as influencing Trump's decisions. Tzipi Hotovely, head of the National Public Diplomacy Directorate, asserted, "There is no truth in the claim that Israel is pushing the US in a certain direction on the Iran issue." Trump also expressed annoyance at Netanyahu for publicly lobbying against a US F-35 sale to Turkey and for leaking intelligence on an Iranian nuclear site, which Trump dismissed as a non-issue.