ANKARA, February 4. /TASS/. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during talks with US President Donald Trump will attempt to convince him to supply the Israeli army with weapons capable of targeting Iran’s nuclear facilities deep underground, the Axios news portal said, citing sources.
The sources indicated that the strike may be delivered "if diplomacy fails" to settle the situation around Tehran’s nuclear program. On February 3, the Foreign Affairs magazine reported that Trump is likely to allow Israel to attack the Islamic republic.
That said, the news portal mentioned that Trump would like to "reach a deal with Iran that would make an Israeli military action unnecessary." According to Axios, the US leader and the head of the Israeli government will also discuss the possibility of normalizing relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia.
On February 4, Trump will receive Netanyahu in the White House. Before leaving for Washington, the Israeli premier said that he intended to discuss with the US leader achievements against the Gaza-based Palestinian radical organization Hamas, the return of hostages held in the Gaza Strip, and the confrontation with Iran.
Earlier, Axios, citing sources among Israeli officials, said that during talks with Trump, Netanyahu will try to convince him to approve the plan to abandon the second phase of the Gaza ceasefire deal and continue operations against Hamas.