The U.S. envoy met with Netanyahu alone for more than two hours, an Israeli official said, before they were joined by other ministers. Netanyahu has long eyed ties with Riyadh and is due to meet Trump in Washington on Feb. 4, when talks for the next phase of the three-stage Gaza ceasefire are meant to formally start.

Steven Witkoff, who played an important role in brokering the truce between Israel and Hamas, also met with Israel’s prime minister and visited Saudi Arabia.

US President plans to lift pause on 2,000-pound bomb supply to Israel • Thinks Saudi Arabia will normalize relations with Israel