Netanyahu to travel to Washington for Graham funeral as US-Iran conflict escalates

Israel wants any agreement to require the removal of enriched uranium from Iranian territory, prohibit future enrichment and address Tehran's ballistic missile programme and support for proxy groups across the region.

During his stay in Washington, the prime minister is also expected to attend the funeral of South Carolina’s late Republican senator, Lindsey Graham, a long-time supporter of Israel and a close ally of both Netanyahu and Trump.

The planned visit comes after Trump convened a meeting in the White House Situation Room last night to discuss a new and more extensive wave of attacks against Iran. On Tuesday, the US reimposed a naval blockade of all Iranian ports, and Trump threatened to hit power plants and bridges next week unless Tehran resumes negotiations.

In response to Iranian attacks on commercial shipping, the US military has now carried out strikes for four consecutive days, focusing on targets in the Strait of Hormuz region and along Iran's southern coast, hitting air defence systems, missile launchers, and drone sites.

Iran has responded by launching missiles and drones at American bases in Jordan, Kuwait, and Bahrain.

The escalation is also having a direct impact on Israel. Thirty-three American refuelling aircraft are currently parked at Ben Gurion Airport after Washington froze plans to evacuate them.

The planes are occupying parking bays normally used by commercial aircraft, prompting warnings from the Israel Airports Authority that airlines could be forced to cancel tens of thousands of tickets as early as next month if the situation persists, threatening travel chaos for summer and the imminent High Holy Days.

This story originally appeared in the JC Israel Briefing. You can sign up to receive the briefing daily here.