President Trump spent the first months of his term holding back Israel’s push for an assault on Iran’s nuclear program. With the war underway, his posture has gyrated as he weighs sending in the U.S.

As Donald Trump hobnobbed with lawmakers at the White House congressional picnic Thursday evening, Israel’s military was striking targets inside Iran just hours after the U.S. president had signaled that he preferred giving diplomatic talks another chance.

President Trump is nearing a decision on whether to join Israel's war against Iran, a choice that will reshape the Mideast and divide his Cabinet and his party.