Washington/Tel Aviv, March 18 (UNI) US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have been in near-daily contact since the war with Iran began, with Trump reportedly saying that the two leaders are “working great together”.
However, behind the close coordination, US officials acknowledged that there has been a growing rift between the two nations over how far the campaign should go — and what success ultimately looks like.
While military and intelligence cooperation remains tightly aligned, objectives seemingly differ as the US is focused on degrading Iran’s missile programme, nuclear capabilities, naval forces and regional proxies, while Israel is pursuing a broader strategy that includes decapitation strikes by eliminating key leaders in a bid to destabilise the regime, and change it to one which would have good ties with Jerusalem.
“Israel has other focuses — and we know that,” one US official said, reports Axios.
Several advisors believe that Trump may want to wind down major operations sooner than Netanyahu, despite being one of the most “bullish” voices in the White House on continuing the war and is seemingly even more aligned with Israel’s harder line than some of his own aides.
Some US officials stress that Washington’s objectives are narrower, and that once key military targets are achieved, Trump could look for an exit.
Early signs of friction have already emerged. When Israel struck Iranian oil storage sites, the White House reportedly pushed back, concerned about the impact on global energy markets.
Maintaining stability in oil supply — particularly through the Strait of Hormuz — is a top US priority, while Israeli officials are viewed as more willing to tolerate disruption.
“Israel doesn’t hate the chaos. We do,” one US official said.
Israel has also taken an increasingly aggressive approach to targeting senior figures, including strikes which recently killed officials such as Ali Larijani, and Gholamreza Soleimani, with some analysts cautioning that such actions could serve to complicate any future diplomatic efforts, although Trump is said to have welcomed Jerusalem’s approach.
Israeli foreign intelligence agency Mossad has also explored efforts to destabilise Iran internally, including attempts to encourage unrest, though with limited impact so far.
Political pressure is also building in Washington. The resignation of senior counterterrorism official Joe Kent has intensified scrutiny over whether US policy is being shaped too closely around Israeli objectives — a suggestion officials deny, but acknowledge carries political risk.
Even Trump has indicated the two allies are not perfectly aligned, saying Israel’s goals may be “a little bit different”. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has similarly acknowledged differences in discussions with European counterparts.
When asked in a press briefing last week if Iran will have to adhere to the demands of both the U.S. and Israel for the war to end, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said the U.S. will make that call. “Our objectives are our objectives. We’ll set the tempo of when those are met.”
