President Trump Hosts Benjamin Netanyahu and Volodymyr Zelensky for Productive Middle East Security Talks
The administration announced that President Trump hosted two closed-door meetings on Tuesday with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt described the talks as "positive and productive," with Netanyahu describing the meeting as one of the best conversations he has had with President Trump. The leaders discussed close coordination on Iran and other security issues in the Middle East. Simultaneously, tensions in the region escalated as the US military intercepted an attempted "surprise attack" by Iran. In response, the administration announced that US and Saudi Arabian forces conducted joint strikes against Iran-aligned terrorists in eastern Iraq. These strikes targeted logistics and weapons sites in retaliation for over 30 drone attacks by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in the past 72 hours. The Popular Mobilization Forces, an Iran-backed Iraqi militia, reported that at least 20 of its members were killed and 32 wounded in the joint operation. Oil prices rose on Wednesday as markets reacted to the potential for further conflict and disruption to energy shipments.