Obama, Netanyahu to meet at White House on March 5

GlobalPost

Amid heightened U.S. concern that Israel will attack Iran over its nuclear program, President Barack Obama plans to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House on March 5, administration officials said Monday.

Netanyahu will be in Washington, D.C., from March 4-6 to address the annual policy conference of the influential pro-Israel lobby AIPAC, Reuters reported.

More from GlobalPost: Is the Iran threat just an illusion?

The announcement was part of a statement on a weekend visit to Israel by Obama's national security adviser, Tom Donilon, according to USA Today.

"The visit is part of the continuous and intensive dialogue between the United States and Israel and reflects our unshakeable commitment to Israel's security," the statement read.

More from GlobalPost: Israel could unilaterally attack Iran, Israeli analysts warn

The statement doesn't mention Iran, although a top U.S. military official told CNN on Sunday that the U.S. has advised Israel against an Iran strike.

"We think that it's not prudent at this point to decide to attack Iran," said Gen. Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. "I mean, that's been our counsel to our allies, the Israelis, well-known, well-documented."

Dempsey told CNN's Fareed Zakaria that U.S. officials don't know whether Iran intends to make weapons with its nuclear capability, and that "a military option" before then would be premature.

Sign up for our daily newsletter

Sign up for The Top of the World, delivered to your inbox every weekday morning.