Netanyahu takes off on 'fateful' US mission

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu yesterday headed to Washington on what he said was a "historic" mission to try and stop a nuclear deal with Iran, an AFP correspondent said.

The controversial 48-hour visit will see the Israeli leader addressing a joint session of the US Congress in a bid to garner last-minute support to halt an emerging world deal with Iran over its nuclear programme, in a move which has infuriated the White House.

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Netanyahu will address AIPAC on Monday before heading to Capitol Hill on Tuesday after which he will fly home.

"I'm going to Washington on a fateful, even historic, mission," he told reporters on the tarmac at Ben Gurion airport near Tel Aviv shortly before his plane took off.

"I feel deep and sincere concern for the security of Israel's citizens and for the fate of the state and of all our people," he said. "I will do everything in my power to ensure our future."

In his remarks, Netanyahu made a veiled allusion to the controversy stoked by his visit, noting the upcoming Jewish holiday of Purim, which starts at sundown on Wednesday and remembers the biblical story of how the Jews were saved from the ancient Persians.

In the story, Queen Esther, the young Jewish wife of the Persian king, risks her life by appearing before him unannounced in order to expose the imminent threat to the Jewish people.

Israel believes Iran and world powers are likely to reach a deal that eases international sanctions on Tehran without applying sufficiently stringent safeguards to stop it developing nuclear weapons.

Netanyahu's trip comes just four weeks before a March 31 deadline for a political framework, with negotiators intending to pin down the final technical details by June 30.