Senator Lindsey Graham to visit Israel next week
The Israeli Broadcasting Corporation said on Friday that US Senator Lindsey Graham is expected to visit Israel next week, as part of the intense political movement over Iran.
Graham’s expected visit follows mutual diplomatic moves and high-level meetings in recent weeks, with tensions rising over Iran’s nuclear program and the future of negotiations.
Graham, who is close to President Donald Trump, is one of the most hawkish US senators on Iran, calling for a tough policy that may reach the option of a military strike and the overthrow of the Iranian regime.
Graham recently visited Israel, where he met with senior security officials, including Mossad chief David Barnea, in meetings that addressed regional threats and security coordination between the two countries.
The expected visit coincides with Israeli assessments indicating that the US president is still giving the negotiating track a chance, but with signs of a decline in the level of patience with Tehran, with talk of a specific time limit to resolve the path between negotiation or escalation.
The next stage may witness crucial decisions, in light of the growing debate within Israel about the possibility of military strikes, whether US or Israeli, if political efforts falter.
On Wednesday, after meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House, Trump said that during his meeting with him, he hadn’t reached a decisive decision on Iran, other than to emphasize the need to continue negotiations with it.
