Broadly, Netanyahu and Trump agree on the key US objective of preventing Iran from manufacturing or having a nuclear weapon.
In Lebanon, however, those interests slightly diverge, with Israel vowing to target the Iran-backed Hezbollah militia even as US-Iran talks continue. Iran has insisted that any ceasefire must also include Lebanon.
It comes as a growing percentage of the American public has grown critical of longstanding US support for Israel.
One Pew Research Poll released in April found that 60% of Americans now hold a negative view of Israel. Before the start of the war with Hamas in 2023, 42% held a negative view.
Several prominent conservative figures have also publicly spoken out against what they perceive as an Israeli role in convincing Trump to go to war in Iran, which the White House and Netanyahu deny.
Among the prominent critics of the war is Joe Kent, who led the National Counterterrorism Center before resigning in March, citing a belief that “we started this war due to pressure from Israel and its powerful American lobby”.
The pro-Israel lobbying group, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, responded to Kent’s exit by reposting a statement accusing him of trafficking in “old-age antisemitic tropes”.
In this political climate, some observers believe that Trump has an incentive to disagree with Netanyahu to placate critics at home in the US.
“I think there is a political necessity now to create daylight between Israel and the US,” Bruen added.
“Whether it’s in Lebanon or in Gaza, there are things that Netanyahu has chosen to do which are politically problematic even for Trump or the Republicans.”
Other US presidents have found themselves frustrated by Netanyahu.
The Israeli prime minister famously clashed with Bill Clinton over the implementation of the Oslo peace accords.
He had an even more difficult relationship with President Barack Obama, particularly after a March 2015 speech to Congress – focused on Iran policy – that was scheduled without the White House’s knowledge.
Netanyahu’s relationship with Biden also seemed to sour after he accused the US of withholding weapons and ammunition – comments that White House officials described as “vexing” and “deeply disappointing”.
“He’s had extremely fraught relationships with US presidents,” said Natan Sachs, an expert on US-Israeli relations at the Washington-based Middle East Institute.
“He is a very difficult negotiator, not just in terms of being tough, but in terms of being very suspicious,” Sacks added.
Trump has previously expressed frustration with Netanyahu, and used an expletive on camera in front of reporters last year after Israeli strikes on Iran threatened a shaky ceasefire at the end of the so-called 12-day war with Tehran.
But overall, their relationship has been largely positive, and Netanyahu has repeatedly described Trump as the “greatest friend to Israel” in US history.
“With Trump, he [Netanyahu] found someone who is willing to break the mould for how Middle East affairs are conducted,” Sacks said.
“That’s something Netanyahu related very easily. He wanted to change the rules of the game and the willingness of the US and Israel to militarily confront the Iran axis.”
Whether their recent apparent disagreement will change that warm relationship in the long term, however, is unclear.
“It’s potentially significant. We don’t know if it was a one-time event or a harbinger of broader things,” Sacks said.
“I would not rule that out. The president has changed his mind about many people in the past.”
