Netanyahu lands in Washington ahead of meeting with Trump
Welcome back to the Daily Briefing.
This is Rosaleen Carroll, filling in for Gabrielle.
In today’s edition:
- Netanyahu lands in Washington ahead of meeting with Trump
- Syria faces raging wildfires for fourth day in a row
- Israel launches strikes on Yemen, Houthis respond
- Iranian, Russian FMs meet on sidelines of BRICS summit
I’ll be highlighting these top stories below.
Thanks for reading,
Rosaleen (@roscarroll_)
Netanyahu touches down in Washington, with Gaza atop agenda
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gives a press conference in Jerusalem on May 21, 2025. Netanyahu said on May 21 that he was ready for a "temporary ceasefire" to guarantee the return of hostages held in Gaza, of whom 20 are "certainly" alive. — RONEN ZVULUN/POOL/AFP via Getty Images
Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is due to meet with US President Donald Trump on Monday at the White House, where talks are expected to focus on a potential Gaza ceasefire. The visit marks Netanyahu’s third trip to the White House since Trump returned to office in January.
Last Tuesday, Trump said on Truth Social that Israel had accepted a 60-day ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and warned Hamas that they must do the same. Over the weekend, Hamas indicated a positive response to the latest proposal, but said it needed to work out details and stressed some reservations over the proposal.
The two leaders are also expected to discuss the status of US talks with Syria, coordination on Iran after US and Israeli strikes against it last month and other security as well as trade issues. Read Rina Bassist’s report on what to expect from the meeting.
Syria fights 'catastrophic' fires for fourth day
The fires have hit Syria's coastal mountains, burning vast areas of forest — OMAR HAJ KADOUR
Syrian authorities said some 100 square kilometers (40 square miles) of forest had "turned to ash" in wildfires as firefighters from neighboring Jordan arrived Sunday to battle a fourth day of blazes in Syria’s province of Latakia.
Jordanian civil defense teams crossed into Syria on Sunday morning, the Syrian Ministry for Emergency and Disaster Management said, after Turkey sent assistance a day earlier.
"Hundreds of thousands of forest trees over an estimated area of around 10,000 hectares [25,000 acres] in 28 locations have turned to ash,” Minister Raed al-Saleh said on the X platform.
He later decried "a real environmental disaster" at a press conference in the province. Saleh said it would take days to declare the blazes completely extinguished once the fire was brought under control, calling them "catastrophic.”
Israel strikes targets in Yemen, Houthis respond
Israeli strikes also hit Sanaa airport on May 6 — Mohammed HUWAIS
The Israeli military said early Monday that it had launched airstrikes in Yemen against the Houthis, marking Israel’s first attack on the Houthis in almost a month.
According to the military, 20 fighter jets were involved in the strikes that targeted the Yemeni ports of Hodeidah, Ras Isa and al-Salif, as well as the Ras Qantib power plant. The military said the strikes “targeted sites used to transfer Iranian weapons and attack Israeli civilians with UAVs and missiles.” The strikes also hit the Galaxy Leader, a ship seized by the Houthis in November 2023.
Following the Israeli airstrikes, the Houthis said they had fired missiles and drones at multiple targets in Israel in retaliation for the strikes on Yemen. Sirens went off in settlements in the occupied West Bank, according to Israeli media, but it remains unclear whether the retaliatory strikes by the Houthis had any impact.
Iranian, Russian foreign ministers meet on sidelines of BRICS
Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi (R) ruled out direct nuclear talks with the US during a visit by his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov — ATTA KENARE
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi met with his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov, at the BRICS summit in Rio de Janeiro on Sunday.
According to a statement from Russia’s Foreign Ministry, “the Russian side reaffirmed its condemnation of the unprovoked military strikes by Israel and the United States on Iranian territory,” in reference to the 12-day war in June that saw Israeli and US strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities, as well as retaliatory strikes by Iran.
Russia, a close partner of Iran, offered only rhetorical support during the war. China, another partner, also refrained from providing any material or financial assistance.
On Sunday night, the BRICS summit issued a statement condemning “the military strikes against the Islamic Republic of Iran” calling the strikes “a violation of international law and the Charter of the United Nations.”