Natalie Kitroa

From The New York Times, I'm Natalie Kitcheleff.

This is The Daily.

Mr. President, did Israel force your hand to launch these strikes against Iran?

Did Netanyahu pull the United States into this war?

No, I might have forced their hands.

Six days into the war, the role that Israel has played in driving President Trump to attack Iran has become a major point of political tension.

The key questions have been, to what extent is a foreign country shaping the actions of the U.S.

commander-in-chief?

And how did Trump get on board with something no American president had ever agreed to?

Waging a joint war with Israel against Iran.

Today, my colleagues Mark Mazzetti and Ronan Bergman on what we know about the extraordinarily close cooperation between the U.S.

and Israel and how that partnership affects the endgame in Iran.

It's Thursday, March 5th.

Mark, Ronan, we wanted to bring you both onto the show because you've both been covering this conflict in Iran.

Ronan, you from Israel and you, Mark, on the D.C.

side.

You are writing a book together.

You are often reporting partners.

And it is so wonderful to have you both here today.

So, Mark, you told us when you were on the show a few days ago that part of the lead up to the war in Iran involved Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu lobbying hard for it with President Trump.