As the war with Iran drags on, a key question is beginning to surface: Are Washington and Tel Aviv on different paths when it comes to how and when the conflict should end. US President Donald Trump has suggested that the Iran war could soon end, but Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has stated that his country is in it for the long haul. "Our aspiration is to enable the Iranian people to cast off the yoke of tyranny; ultimately, it is up to them," Netanyahu said Tuesday. "There is no doubt that through the actions taken so far, we are breaking their bones and we are still active."
Trump and Netanyahu have remained in constant contact since the conflict began, speaking almost daily. Netanyahu has also been in touch with his son-in-law Jared Kushner, and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio. US officials say that those discussions have centered around possible scenarios for ending the war.
Officials in Washington worry that Israel may want the fighting to continue even if the US begins winding down. Trump has privately told his aides that he intends to decide when the conflict ends and believes he can bring it to a halt when he chooses - much as he did last year when he helped broker a ceasefire after a 12-day war.
"The end of America’s involvement in this conflict will ultimately be determined by the commander in chief, when he feels the military objectives are fully met, and the threat of the rogue Iranian regime has been completely demolished," White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said.
On the battlefield, the difference in strategy is clearly visible. Israeli forces have continued targeting senior Iranian officials while expanding their strikes to include energy infrastructure in an effort to increase pressure on Tehran. That approach, however, has drawn concern in Washington, which clearly told Israel it was "not happy" with strikes on Iranian energy facilities and urged it to not repeat such attacks without prior approval.
The contrast was also evident in how both sides described key military operations. Elbridge Colby, the Pentagon's top policy official, told Congress that the strike that killed Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was part of a series of "Israeli operations". He contrasted that with the US' "scoped and reasonable" objectives, focused mainly on degrading Iran's missile, drone and naval capabilities.
The Trump administration too has framed the US mission more narrowly - i.e. to weaken Iran's nuclear and missile programs. The Pentagon also has acknowledged that Washington and Tel Aviv may be pursuing different priorities. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth praised Israel as a close partner but noted that the two allies are not always pursuing identical goals. "Where they have different objectives, they have pursued them," Hegseth said.
For Israel, the stakes are different. Netanyahu has long argued that Iran's leadership poses an existential threat to the country and has repeatedly called for the regime's removal. "Bibi's dream and I think Israel's dream for decades is a joint war to topple the Islamic Republic. But to rely on Trump for anything is always a dubious undertaking," said Chuck Freilich, a former deputy national security adviser in Israel.
Domestic politics also play a role. Polling in Israel shows strong public support for the war, with one survey by the INSS in March indicating that 82% of Israelis back the campaign. The conflict could also influence Israel's upcoming elections later this year.
In the United States, however, public backing for the war is far weaker. Opinion polls suggest only a minority of Americans support continued military action, and Trump is facing criticism from both Democrats and some members of his own party who want a more isolationist foreign policy.
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