Donald Trump says Israel 'wouldn't survive' without US ahead of Benjamin Netanyahu meeting

Donald Trump says Israel 'wouldn't survive' without US ahead of Benjamin Netanyahu meeting The US and Israel are long-time allies and carried out joint strikes on several key Iranian sites on February 28, sparking a major conflict in the Middle East over the coming months US President Donald Trump has said a long-time ally "wouldn't survive" without America. Mr Trump made the claim hours before meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin "Bibi" Netanyahu at the White House on Tuesday, July 28. Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, Mr Trump said: "Frankly we're being very nice to a lot of countries that would not survive without us. "And you know who wouldn't survive without us? Israel. "Bibi's coming, he'll tell you." The discussions between the allies on Tuesday will mark the eighth meeting since Mr Trump took office last year. Mr Netanyahu said ahead of the talks that it would "first and foremost" be about Iran, but "all issues" will be discussed. According to a source briefed on the matter Mr Netanyahu is going to Washington in "listening mode", the Financial Times reports. However, it is reported that the Israeli leader desires to expand military action in Iran. The US and Israel are long-time allies and carried out joint strikes on several key Iranian sites on February 28, sparking a major conflict in the Middle East. Iran retaliated by striking sites across the region and closing the Strait of Hormuz waterway. The source said: "Netanyahu wants it to be about more than just Hormuz." The source added that Mr Netanyahu will also raise concerns about Türkiye asking to buy F-35 fighter jets from the US, as he believes it will lessen Israel's military advantage over other countries in the region. A White House official told FT that Mr Trump would "discuss the conflict in Iran, progress with the Trilateral Framework in Lebanon, and expanding the Abraham Accords". During his speech in Michigan on Monday, Mr Trump said he's making the "largest-ever investment in the United States Armed Forces", which he called the strongest military in the world. "We're winning big time with the Islamic Republic of Iran. We're ensuring that they're never having a nuclear weapon. It's very simple. If you understood the power of the nuclear weapons, you'd understand exactly what I was saying." Mr Trump called Iran "the bully of the Middle East". "You can't bribe them, you gotta beat them, and we're beating the hell out of them," he said. "We'll see how it turns out. Right now there are very friendly negotiations going on."