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3. Israel President Says Hopes U.S.-Israel Talks Can Undermine Iran's 'Empire of Evil'

Israel's President Isaac Herzog said Wednesday he hoped talks between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump in Washington later in the day would help fight Iran's "empire of evil".

Netanyahu, making his sixth visit to the United States since Trump took office, has said he will urge the US leader to take a harder line on arch-foe Iran's ballistic missile program.

Trump said on the eve of the hastily arranged White House meeting, to begin at 11:00 am local time (1600 GMT), that he was weighing sending a second US "armada" to the Middle East to pressure Tehran to reach a nuclear deal.

Speaking beside Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in Canberra, Herzog wished them "success in bringing peace and undermining that empire of evil emanating from Tehran".

Herzog also said they would be discussing "the next phase in Gaza which is important to all of us, which I hope will bring a better future for all of us".

The Israeli head of state's tightly secured, four-day trip aims to console Australia's Jewish community after the December shooting at Sydney's Bondi Beach that killed 15 people at a Hanukkah festival.

But it has sparked protests in major Australian cities by groups opposed to Israel's actions in the Palestinian territories.

Chaos erupted on Monday evening in the heart of Sydney as police tried to prevent a rally from marching into an area designated off-limits.

Law enforcement used pepper spray on protesters and members of the media, including an AFP photographer, during scuffles in the city's central business district.

AFP