WASHINGTON - When President Donald Trump took office in January, he and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu were closely linked on the most pressing issues in how to deal with their relationship: the war in Gaza and the invasion of Iran.

Trump lifted the shelves that the Biden administration has invested in sending the big bomb to Israel. He encouraged Israeli military operations to "complete the work on Hamas in Gaza." He agreed to Netanyahu to confront Iran and its agent groups in the region.

But relations between Trump and Netanyahu have become tense in recent weeks as two U.S. officials, two Middle East diplomats and two other people with tensions, both leaders increasingly violate strategies to address these challenges.

Netanyahu saw a chance to eventually cancel Iran's nuclear facilities, and Trump saw a chance to eliminate the threat of Iran's acquisition of nuclear weapons by reaching a deal. When Israel attacks Gaza with a new military offensive, Trump is urging a ceasefire and hopes to implement a post-war plan to rebuild the region into a “Riviera of the Middle East.” Netanyahu said in shock that Israel would defend itself after Trump stopped the U.S. military campaign against Iran-backed Houthi radical groups.

The latest differences in key strategies and stances between the two leaders put Trump’s relationship with one of the closest allies in the United States at a crossroads. How they respond to future differences will affect the outcomes of some core components of the president’s foreign policy agenda.

Trump has made public comments twice in the past week alone, saying the two U.S. officials, two Middle East diplomats and two others with tension.

Netanyahu was particularly frustrated when Trump said Wednesday that he had not yet decided whether to allow Iran to be rich in uranium under the new nuclear deal negotiated by his administration. Netanyahu's top adviser Ron Dermer conveyed the message to Trump's Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff at a meeting at the White House on Thursday, according to one of the U.S. officials.

Trump is frustrated by Netanyahu's decision to start a new military offensive in Gaza, which the president believes is inconsistent with his plans to rebuild there, according to a U.S. official and a person familiar with tensions between the two leaders.

Trump said privately that Gaza's new Israeli offensive is a wasteful effort because it will make reconstruction more difficult.

According to Middle East diplomats and senior Trump administration officials, the U.S. is currently pushing Israel and Hamas to agree to a ceasefire in Gaza, and Dermer will discuss with Witkoff during his White House visit this week.

But Trump's attitude towards Iran has always been Netanyahu's biggest debate.

Israeli leaders have been frustrated for weeks based on Trump’s military strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities, and he decided to obtain a deal aimed at preventing Tehran from obtaining nuclear weapons, a deal that two U.S. officials, two Middle East diplomats and two others are aware of the tension.

"They are worried about any deals," a U.S. official said of the Israelis.

U.S. officials and Middle East diplomats say Israel made it clear to the United States that it does not want Trump to cut a nuclear deal, which gives Iran any uranium enrichment capacity. Trump has expressed openness to Iran, which maintains civilian nuclear program.

"We have not made a decision yet," Trump said Wednesday when asked whether the U.S. could plan to enrich uranium for civilian nuclear use.

"There is no better friend in Israel's history than President Trump," National Security Council spokesman James Hewitt said in a statement answering the story. "We continue to work closely with our ally Israel to ensure that the remaining hostages in Gaza are released, that Iran has never obtained nuclear weapons, and strengthen regional security in the Middle East. As he repeatedly stated during his first and second term, the president is committed to ensuring that Iran has never obtained nuclear weapons."

The third U.S. official said the presidential team has regularly communicated with Israeli officials about their status in negotiating with Iran, providing elements to update and coordinate potential deals.

Netanyahu's office did not respond to a request for comment.

Trump has his own agenda

Netanyahu was blinded and angry last week after Trump announced the cessation of military movements against Iran-backed Hussi in Yemen, according to one of U.S. officials and two Middle East diplomats.

Hushis just used a missile to attack Israel's main airport Ben Gurion.

When Netanyahu visited the White House last month, for the second time since Trump took office, he hoped the president would assure US Airlines support Israel’s possible actions against Iran’s nuclear facilities, according to two Middle East diplomats. Diplomats said the Israeli leader was shocked when the president announced that he agreed to hold talks with Tehran.

Netanyahu privately said he believes Trump's negotiations with Iran were wasting time because Tehran will never end any deals, which is what two U.S. officials said. Israel argues that Iran's economic sanctions and degradation of agents in the region have made Iran so weak, and now is an ideal time to revoke its nuclear facilities, and it fears that the window to do so is closing while the United States is in talks.

In addition to concerns about timing, Israeli military strikes weakened Iran's strategic air defense in October, meaning that manned aircraft are not easily shot down now. But the Iranians are rebuilding air defenses.

Republican Tom Cotton and Lindsey Graham said this week that the only acceptable Iran deal is to completely block any uranium enrichment in Tehran. They also urged Trump to submit any Iran nuclear deal to the Senate for approval, which requires a two-thirds majority to vote.

Asked about Cotton and Graham's comments, the fourth U.S. official said Witkov's "continuous link" with Graham about Iran's negotiations and briefed them on Cotton last week.

The 2015 Iran nuclear deal reached by President Barack Obama has not been approved by the Senate, which has allowed Trump to simply pull the United States out of the agreement during his first term.

“I think what you’re seeing is that the Israelis recognize is that they welcome President Trump’s election and think that it does give them a blank check to pursue whatever agenda they want, and that Trump has his own agenda.

Although Trump's diplomacy with Hotis in Iran and the United States is "disgusted" with Netanyahu, the Prime Minister's political leverage in Washington or Israel is popular with Israel's base, and he is popular on the basis of Israel.

In a briefing organized by J Street, Gordonberg said Netanyahu's "whole political strategy and survival strategy are based on holding alliances and keeping its political foundations together." “Those people love Trump, so he really can’t do it.”

The pressure on relations between Trump and Netanyahu is scheduled to stop in Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates as the president travels to the Middle East next week. Trump has not currently scheduled to visit Israel on the trip, although he has participated in it during his first term.

Witkoff also plans to hold another round of negotiations with Iran in Oman this weekend.