On the home front the veteran Israeli right-winger faces an intensifying corruption probe that could see the 68-year-old forced to stand down in ignominy after a total of 12 years in office.
But Mr Netanyahu and wife Sara, who has also faced police questioning over alleged bribery, were given a standing ovation at a meeting of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, which styles itself “America’s pro-Israel Lobby”.
And this came a day after a visit with President Donald Trump to further cement an alliance that has helped Israel achieve its longstanding goal of winning US recognition of the divided city of Jerusalem as its capital.
The pair also bonded over shared antipathy to the 2015 Iran nuclear deal – hailed by Trump’s predecessor Barack Obama, five more world powers and Tehran as a diplomatic landmark, but now hanging by a thread.
Mr Netanyahu thanked Mr Trump for his vow to tear up the accord if it is not strengthened to prevent Tehran from resuming its alleged quest for atomic weapons, and said Israel and its Arab neighbors would back such a move.
To bolster his case he presented an ominous map with the countries of the Middle East that he accuses Iran of seeking to dominate – such as war-torn Syria and Yemen, Lebanon, Iraq and Gaza – coloured in black.
“Darkness is descending on our region. Iran is building an aggressive empire,” he declared, accusing Tehran of exploiting its role supporting Bashar al-Assad in Syria’s civil war to set up permanent bases on Israel’s border.
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