Netanyahu and MBS secretly lobbied Trump for weeks before Iran war launch

The Washington Post and Axios reported that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman separately lobbied President Trump for weeks before the February 28 launch of Operation Epic Fury. Netanyahu met Trump twice and spoke by phone 15 times in two months; the decisive call came February 23 when Netanyahu shared intelligence that Iran's supreme leader would be at a single Tehran location. MBS reinforced the push, making Israel and Saudi Arabia an unusual joint lobbying force behind Trump's decision.