Netanyahu takes off, unannounced, from an Air Force base ahead of Trump meeting; no journalists on board

Lazar Berman is The Times of Israel's diplomatic reporter

File: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is seen by journalists aboard the official Wing of Zion plane during its flight to Washington, DC, on July 22, 2024. (Lazar Berman/ Times of Israel)
File: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is seen by journalists aboard the official Wing of Zion plane during its flight to Washington, DC, on July 22, 2024. (Lazar Berman/ Times of Israel)

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu took off for Washington, DC, shortly before 1 p.m., his office tells The Times of Israel after his departure.

According to flight tracking sites, he took off from the Nevatim Airbase near Beersheba.

He is slated to meet US President Donald Trump tomorrow, as well as to attend a funeral service for late senator Lindsey Graham.

His flight, which was originally scheduled to take off at 11 a.m., was delayed by two hours. Netanyahu’s office did not offer an explanation, nor has it said why he took off from an Air Force base and not Ben Gurion Airport.

Netanyahu is not taking journalists with him on the state plane Wing of Zion.

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