Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu planning trip to Washington next week, with unconfirmed meeting with President Trump slated.By World Israel News StaffPrime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is preparing to travel to Washington early next week, Israeli media reported Tuesday, although an American official said a meeting with President Donald Trump has not yet been placed on the White House schedule.Netanyahu is expected to leave Israel as early as Saturday night and hopes to meet Trump during the visit, according to Israeli officials cited by multiple outlets.The trip comes amid renewed fighting between the United States and Iran and reports of growing disagreements between Washington and Jerusalem over Israeli military deployments in Syria and Lebanon.The planned visit follows several recent conversations between Netanyahu and Trump. After the two leaders spoke around the United States’ 250th Independence Day celebrations, the Prime Minister’s Office said Netanyahu described the United States as “a guarantor of global freedom” and expressed appreciation for the close relationship between the two countries.The statement said Netanyahu and Trump “agreed to meet soon in the United States.”Trump also told Axios earlier this month that Netanyahu had requested a White House meeting. At the time, Trump indicated that the meeting could take place after he returned from the NATO summit in Turkey, although an Israeli official cautioned that the schedule might have to be pushed back.Despite Israeli reports that Netanyahu intends to be in Washington early next week, a US official said Wednesday morning that no meeting between the two leaders had been formally scheduled.The possible visit would come at a sensitive point in relations between the Trump administration and the Israeli government. Netanyahu is seeking to influence Washington’s approach toward Iran as the United States considers its next diplomatic and military steps following the collapse of a recent understanding with Tehran.Israeli officials reportedly want any future agreement with Iran to address not only its uranium-enrichment program, but also its ballistic missiles and its support for armed groups across the Middle East. Jerusalem is also expected to press Washington to demand that enriched uranium be removed from Iranian territory and that Tehran be denied the ability to enrich uranium domestically.At the same time, Trump has reportedly increased pressure on Netanyahu to reduce Israel’s military presence beyond its borders.Axios reported Tuesday that Trump told Netanyahu during a telephone conversation last week that Israel should begin moving its forces out of Syrian territory. According to a US official, Trump told the prime minister: “They don’t want you there. You should redeploy.”The official said Trump delivered a similar message concerning Lebanon, where the United States is attempting to advance an agreement involving phased Israeli withdrawals and the deployment of the Lebanese Armed Forces.The Prime Minister’s Office responded that Netanyahu had emphasized Israel’s need to maintain security zones along its borders. Israeli leaders have argued that the military presence in southern Syria and Lebanon is necessary to prevent hostile forces from approaching Israeli communities.The conversation took place shortly after Trump met Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Turkey. The administration has been seeking security arrangements that would reduce tensions between Israel and Syria while preventing renewed fighting along the border.Trump nevertheless publicly rejected claims Monday that he had abandoned Netanyahu or that their relationship had broken down.“No, not at all,” Trump told radio host Hugh Hewitt when asked whether he had thrown Netanyahu “under the bus.”“I get along with him very well. Sometimes, I disagree with him,” Trump said, later adding: “Bibi’s good.”Neither the Prime Minister’s Office nor the White House has formally announced Netanyahu’s itinerary.The post Netanyahu to visit Washington next week as Trump pushes for IDF withdrawals appeared first on World Israel News.