Trump, Netanyahu to meet in Florida for crucial talks on Iran and Gaza

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said earlier this month that Washington aims to have the new governing bodies in place “very soon.”

Rubio will meet with Netanyahu ahead of the Israeli prime minister’s meeting with the president.

Although the United States could push its ally to advance in Gaza, the conversation is also expected to highlight Israel’s growing concerns about Iran.

Netanyahu is expected to make the case to Trump that Iran’s expansion of its ballistic missile program poses a threat that could require rapid action, NBC News reported earlier this month.

Israeli officials are increasingly concerned that Tehran is expanding production of its ballistic missile program, which was damaged by Israeli military strikes earlier this year, and are preparing to brief Trump on options for attacking it again, according to a person with direct knowledge of the plans and four former U.S. officials briefed on the plans.

The Israeli leader is expected to offer Trump options for the United States to join or assist in any new military operations, the sources said.

But it may take time to convince Trump.

Although the United States carried out strikes against Iran’s main nuclear enrichment facilities in a joint operation with Israel in June, the president suggested recently that he may be willing to resume talks with Tehran.