Benjamin Netanyahu arrives in London for ‘lightning’ talks with Boris Johnson

“The prime minister will discuss with Secretary Esper Israel’s security needs. They spoke last night on the phone and decided to broaden their conversation in London.”

The visit to Downing Street is one of the first by a foreign head of government since Mr Johnson became prime minister in July.

But analysts said the real focus for Mr Netanyahu was to hold further talks with the US Defence Secretary amid multiple Israeli security concerns in the Middle East.

There was renewed tension at Israel’s border with Gaza and last weekend the IDF and Hezbollah exchanged fire across the northern frontier with Lebanon.

Meanwhile the Wall Street Journal reported this week that Iran was frustrating UN efforts to establish whether nuclear equipment and material was being stored in Tehran.

The newspaper said the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) had threatened to publicly criticise Iran for its lack of cooperation.

If confirmed, it would mark the first time Iranian authorities have refused to cooperate with the IAEA since its nuclear deal with world powers came into force in January 2016.

Mr Netanyahu’s London trip was announced a day after he cancelled a pre-election trip to India.

That move had fuelled speculation that the Israeli prime minister, whose Likud party is facing a strong challenge in the opinion polls, was planning a different high-profile visit ahead of the September 17 election.