Iran dominated the agenda in Wednesday’s White House meeting between President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, with both leaders signaling that diplomacy with Tehran remains uncertain and that coordination will continue if talks fail.

In a post on Truth Social following the meeting, Trump said he pushed for continued negotiations but left open other options.

«There was nothing definitive reached other than I insisted that negotiations with Iran continue to see whether or not a deal can be consummated. If it can, I let the Prime Minister know that will be a preference. If it cannot, we will just have to see what the outcome will be… Last time Iran decided that they were better off not making a deal, and they were hit with Midnight Hammer — That did not work well for them.»

Netanyahu’s office said the leaders discussed Iran, Gaza and broader regional developments and agreed to maintain close coordination, adding that the prime minister emphasized Israel’s security needs in the context of negotiations.

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Earlier in the day, Netanyahu formally joined the U.S.-backed Board of Peace, signing onto the initiative ahead of the meeting after weeks of hesitation. The move places Israel inside a forum that includes Western partners as well as Turkey and Qatar, whose involvement in Gaza has drawn criticism in Jerusalem.

Experts say the decision reflects strategic calculations tied to both Gaza and Iran.

Dr. Dan Diker, president of the Jerusalem Center for Security and Foreign Affairs, said Netanyahu’s participation is directly linked to cooperation with Washington and to shaping postwar arrangements in Gaza.

«It is in Israel’s interest for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to join the Board of Peace. He needs a place at that table even alongside adversarial powers such as Muslim Brotherhood-aligned countries Qatar and Turkey. Netanyahu’s membership in the Board of Peace is an important element in his cooperation with President Trump to help implement the 20-point plan, with deradicalization, disarming Hamas and demilitarization as the first three non-negotiable actions.»

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Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hold a document after their meeting in Washington, on Feb. 11, 2026. (Avi Ohayon/GPO/Anadolu via Getty Images)

Diker said the decision is also tied to Iran. «More strategic reason that Netanyahu’s membership on the Board of Peace is important is that it represents an element of cooperation to counter the Iranian regime. Netanyahu is likely counting on action against the Iranian regime from the Iranian people themselves and from the United States in the coming weeks. In exchange, Netanyahu continues to cooperate in implementing the 20-point plan in Gaza as part of a quid pro quo.»

Blaise Misztal, vice president for policy at the Jewish Institute for National Security of America, described Israel’s move as a pragmatic choice shaped by the incomplete implementation of the Gaza deal and the broader regional threat environment.

«The implementation of the Gaza peace deal leaves much to be desired. Hamas, despite being given 72 hours to release all hostages, took over 100 days to do so; Hamas has still not disarmed; there is neither an International Stabilization Force nor any countries jumping at the chance to join it; and the Board of Peace comprises countries that have shown themselves enemies of peace with Israel.»

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President Donald Trump holds up his signature on the founding charter during a signing ceremony for the Board of Peace in Davos, Switzerland, on Jan. 22, 2026. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

He said Israel ultimately chose engagement over isolation. «Proceeding with the deal — including joining the Board of Peace — is Israel’s least bad option. Israel has a better chance of countering or balancing Turkish and Qatari influence on the Board of Peace by being in the room with them, rather than outside it.»

Misztal also linked the timing to Iran. «With the United States having a real chance to disarm, or even topple, the Iranian regime and the risk that Tehran might yet lash out at Israel, there is no interest in doing anything that would risk restarting the war in Gaza.»

Todd Lyons, director interino del ICE, este miércoles ante un comité del Congreso de EE.UU. Foto: AP

Preocupación

Agentes del ICE detienen a una manifestante durante una redada en Minneapolis. Foto: AP

Top U.S. military leaders are hosting more than 30 nations in Washington as the Trump administration moves to deepen security cooperation across the Western Hemisphere, prioritizing border control, drug trafficking and regional threats from global adversaries. 

«To put America First, we must put the Americas First,» War Secretary Pete Hegseth said, according to remarks shared by Joseph Humire, U.S. Acting Assistant Secretary of War for Homeland Defense and the Americas. 

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«We must work together to prevent any adversary or criminal actor from exploiting your territory or using your infrastructure to threaten what a great former American president, Teddy Roosevelt, once called ‘permanent peace in this hemisphere.’»

The meeting, convened by Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Dan Caine, comes amid a broader national security strategy that places heightened emphasis on threats closer to home: from fentanyl pipelines and transnational criminal networks to Arctic competition and instability in Venezuela.

The conference also coincides with U.S. action against Mexican cartel drones that breached American airspace near El Paso, Texas.

An administration official told Fox News that «Mexican cartel drones breached U.S. airspace. The Department of War took action to disable the drones. The FAA and DOW have determined there is no threat to commercial travel.»

The Federal Aviation Administration temporarily restricted flights in and out of El Paso International Airport for what it described as «special security reasons.» Federal officials have not released operational details, but the administration official said the action was directly tied to counter-drone measures along the southern border.

The incident underscores the growing use of unmanned systems by cartel networks and the increasing overlap between traditional criminal activity and homeland defense concerns — a theme expected to surface in discussions among defense leaders gathered in Washington.

Top military leaders from Denmark, Britain and France, nations that have territory in the western hemisphere, have also been invited, according to The New York Times.

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Gen. Francis Donovan, the new chief of Southern Command, which oversees Latin American and Caribbean operations, is expected to press regional counterparts to intensify cooperation against drug-trafficking organizations and transnational criminal groups that operate across borders and increasingly leverage advanced technology. U.S. officials have warned that cartel networks are using drones, encrypted communications and sophisticated smuggling routes to move narcotics and personnel.

Video shows a kinetic strike on a narco-terror vessel in international waters from Wednesday, Dec. 31. The strikes come amid broader military pressure in the region following high-profile security actions. (U.S. Southern Command via X)

Gen. Gregory M. Guillot, the head of U.S. Northern Command, which leads homeland and north of the U.S. defense including Greenland, is reportedly expected to talk about border controls and integration of advanced sensors across air, land, sea and space domains. 

Arctic security also us likely to feature prominently in discussions. The administration has pointed to increased Russian and Chinese activity in the Arctic as a long-term strategic concern and has emphasized the importance of Greenland’s geographic position for missile warning, maritime access and critical mineral resources.

Former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, who was captured by U.S. forces in January in a high-stakes operation and is now facing federal drug-trafficking charges in the United States. The capture has reshaped U.S. security discussions in the Western Hemisphere. (Leonardo Fernandez Viloria/Reuters)

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The summit comes on the heels of the dramatic U.S. military capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro in early January after months of counternarcotics boat strikes. 

As the hemisphere’s security landscape continues shifting, defense officials and regional allies alike will be watching to see how other governments with hostile policies toward the U.S. respond to Washington’s increasingly assertive posture.