JERUSALEM — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu departed for Washington on Sunday for talks with US President Donald Trump at the White House, his office confirmed. The visit focuses on Gaza and Iran.

The trip follows Israeli media reports that Netanyahu would travel to the United States this week. The prime minister's office said the agenda would cover ceasefire and hostage-release negotiations related to Gaza, alongside coordination on countering Iran's regional activities.

The visit comes as diplomatic tensions persist across the Middle East. France has demanded guarantees from Tehran over the treatment of its diplomats, while sporadic violence has continued in southern Syria's Sweida province following recent Druze-Bedouin clashes.

A spokesperson for the prime minister's office said Netanyahu sought to reaffirm what he described as the strategic alignment between Jerusalem and Washington. Analysts at the Institute for National Security Studies in Tel Aviv have noted that Netanyahu faces domestic pressure over stalled hostage talks and his governing coalition's stability.

The White House had not published a detailed schedule for the meeting by Sunday. Both governments have signalled that Gaza's postwar arrangements and Iran's nuclear programme would dominate the discussions.