Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu departed for Washington on Monday afternoon ahead of a White House meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump, amid uncertainty over the confrontation with Iran.
Netanyahu did not deliver a statement before takeoff.
The flight departed under an unusual veil of secrecy imposed by the Prime Minister’s Office. In an unprecedented step, the office did not announce the departure time, the expected landing time in the United States or the location from which the plane would take off.
Under the original schedule, Netanyahu was expected to leave Israel in the morning and arrive in Washington at night.
Flight-tracking websites showed the “Wing of Zion” aircraft in the air at approximately 1 p.m. It departed from Nevatim Airbase in the Negev and did not stop at Ben Gurion Airport, Netanyahu’s usual departure point.
Netanyahu is scheduled to meet Trump at the White House on Tuesday at 6 p.m.
The Prime Minister’s Office is awaiting a decision from the U.S. administration on whether Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio will join the meeting or hold separate talks with Netanyahu.
Iran expected to dominate talks
Iran is expected to be the central issue at the meeting, as the United States, Qatar and Oman seek a compromise regulating ship traffic through the Strait of Hormuz and preventing a return to broader fighting.
Israeli officials fear that a new arrangement could allow Tehran to resume oil sales, receive sanctions relief and inject tens of billions of dollars into its economy.
Wing of Zion carrying Prime Minister Netanyahu en route to Washington
Netanyahu intends to present Trump with updated intelligence on Iran’s efforts to rebuild its nuclear program and ballistic missile system, and to bury strategic capabilities deep underground.
Israel’s message will be that the Iranian regime has not abandoned its ambition to obtain nuclear weapons and that a temporary agreement allowing it to recover would be insufficient.
At the same time, Netanyahu wants to avoid creating the impression that he is traveling to Washington to pressure Trump into another war.
He is expected to seek alignment with the president on the next military and diplomatic steps and emphasize that Israel’s objective is to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon, not necessarily to resume strikes immediately.
Alongside Iran, the two leaders are expected to discuss the war in Gaza and developments involving Saudi Arabia, Syria, Lebanon and Turkey.
Israeli officials attach considerable importance to the direct meeting with Trump and hope it will enable closer coordination between Israel and the United States across several regional fronts.