Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak met President Bush in an unplanned meeting.
Barak’s meeting Thursday in Washington with U.S. National Security Adviser Stephen Hadley was expanded to include the president.
Israeli officials said the three met for an hour and that Barak thanked Bush for the recent increase in annual military assistance to Israel from $2.4 billion to $3 billion.
Another topic that has been central to Israeli meetings in Washington this week has been the threat posed by the possibility of a nuclear Iran.
Israeli officials have welcomed Bush’s recent warning that an Iran with the knowledge to build a nuclear weapon could precipitate World War III.
