Trump invites Israel's Netanyahu to White House

TEL AVIV — U.S. President Donald Trump has invited Israel's Benjamin Netanyahu to the White House in the "near future," the prime minister's office said on Monday, shortly after Trump said Israel should maintain a strong and true dialogue with Syria.

A visit to the White House would mark the Israeli prime minister's fifth since Trump returned to office in January. The two leaders have publicly projected a close relationship, though U.S. and Israeli sources have said Trump has at times expressed frustration with Netanyahu.

The prime minister's office said Netanyahu and Trump discussed disarming Hamas and demilitarizing Gaza. Trump in September announced a plan to end the Gaza war and a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas has been in place since October.

Trump earlier said in a statement that it was very important that Israel maintained a "strong and true dialogue" with neighboring Syria, and that "nothing takes place that will interfere with Syria's evolution into a prosperous state."

"Syria and Israel will have a long and prosperous relationship together," said Trump, whose administration is trying to broker a non-aggression pact between the two states.

Syria does not formally recognize Israel, which has occupied more Syrian territory since December 2024. It has occupied the Syrian Golan Heights since 1967 and later annexed it, a move recognised by the United States but not by most other countries.

Trump has backed Syria's new leader, Ahmed al-Sharaa, while Israel voiced hostility over his past links to Islamist militancy and has lobbied Washington to keep Syria weak.

An Israeli raid in southern Syria on Friday killed 13 Syrians, Syrian state media reported. The Israeli military said it had targeted a Lebanese Islamist militant group there.

The call with Trump also came a day after Netanyahu asked Israel's president for a pardon in his long-running corruption trial. Trump has publicly voiced support for pardoning Netanyahu and sent a letter last month urging President Isaac Herzog to consider it.

The prime minister's readout of the call made no mention of the pardon. Israeli opposition politicians have come out against the request and called on Netanyahu to instead resign.

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