IRAN WILL BE A KEY TOPIC WHEN NETANYAHU VISITS TRUMP:

Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu will meet with President Trump at the White House on 15 Feb. 2017. Netanyahu thanked Trump for the invitation and said he looked forward to discussing "the areas of cooperation between us that are so vital to the security and well-being of our two countries.” Iran is expected to be a main topic at the White House meeting. Iran this week test-fired a medium-range ballistic missile, in what Netanyahu called "a flagrant violation of a Security Council Resolution.” The Israeli leader said he plans to "raise the need for a renewal of sanctions against Iran - sanctions against ballistic missiles but also other sanctions, against Iran’s sponsorship of terrorism, and also to deal with this entire failed nuclear agreement” in his meeting with Trump. Israel’s Intelligence Minister, Israel Katz, likewise said on Tues. 31 Jan. 2017 that "there is no doubt that further sanctions on Iran are needed," following the ballistic missile test. Katz said that not only Iran's ballistic missile program, but also its entrenchment in Syria and the aid it gives to Hezbollah constitute threats to Israel's security. The intelligence minister suggested that the Trump administration and its stance on Iran, offers new opportunities to thwart Iran's hegemonic ambitions in the region that endanger Israel. "The Trump administration and other [Middle East] leaders see Iran in a negative light. This is a significant development. There are initiatives to prevent Iranian meddling in the region, and Iran's entrenchment in Syria. These are goals that we must promote," Katz said. (NY Post/Times of Israel/J. Post) Intercede that world leaders will take action against the ploys and moves of the Islamic Republic to advance its weapons arsenal and its support of terrorism.