Shafaq News- Washington

US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that he had reached an agreement with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to end around $4 billion in annual US financial assistance to Israel by the end of 2026.

Speaking on Fox News' Fox & Friends, Trump said the agreement had been reached months earlier as Israel no longer needed the funding. Washington will continue helping Israel if necessary and Israel could still purchase American weapons, he added.

Trump said the payments had become a target of criticism from Democrats and left-wing politicians. However, he did not specify which funding programs would be affected or how the agreement would be implemented.

Netanyahu's office did not immediately comment on the announcement.

Under a memorandum of understanding signed in 2016, the United States pledged $38 billion in military assistance to Israel through fiscal year 2028, including $3.3 billion annually in military financing and $500 million for missile defense. According to the Congressional Research Service, the agreement is not legally binding, and funding remains subject to congressional approval.

In a May interview with CBS' 60 Minutes, Netanyahu said he wanted to phase out US financial support for Israel's military over ten years, beginning immediately, claiming that he had already raised the proposal with Trump.

Separately, Trump said US forces had heavily struck an Iranian air-defense facility the previous night, describing the operation as a limited strike rather than a return to war. The facility had taken nearly two months to build and American forces waited until construction was completed before attacking it.