In an expletive-laden phone call on Monday, Donald Trump reportedly berated Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu over the escalating crisis in Lebanon, telling him he would be “in prison” without US support and accusing him of ingratitude, amid fears that Israel’s actions could derail Washington’s nuclear talks with Tehran.
“You’d be sitting in jail without me”
According to a report by Axios, two US officials and a third source familiar with the conversation said the US president launched a furious attack on Netanyahu over Israel’s increasing military actions in Lebanon. Trump was said to be “furious” and at one point shouted: “What the hell are you doing?!”
One American official quoted Trump as telling the Israeli leader: “You’re bloody crazy! You’d be sitting in jail if it weren’t for me. I’m saving your arse. Now everyone hates you. Everyone hates Israel because of this.”
White House concern over civilian casualties
The outburst came after Tehran threatened earlier on Monday to suspend nuclear negotiations with Washington in response to Israeli operations in Lebanon. Trump, who is aware of Hezbollah rocket fire into Israel, has reportedly grown increasingly concerned that Netanyahu is disproportionately escalating the conflict – not only by threatening Beirut but also by expanding ground operations in southern Lebanon.
A separate US official told Axios that Trump was troubled that Israel had “killed so many civilians in Lebanon” and objected to the tactic of “demolishing entire buildings” to target a single Hezbollah commander.
Netanyahu’s plans paused – but defiant
One immediate consequence of the heated exchange was that Trump reportedly halted Israeli plans to strike Beirut. An Israeli official later confirmed that Jerusalem no longer intends to target Hezbollah-related sites in the Lebanese capital.
However, Netanyahu struck a defiant tone after the call, insisting that Israel would attack Beirut if Hezbollah did not cease its assaults, while continuing operations in southern Lebanon. “Our position remains unchanged,” he said.
Trump’s Iran gamble at risk
The confrontation is understood to have been triggered by Netanyahu’s Lebanon strategy threatening to derail Trump’s high-stakes negotiations with Iran. Following the phone call, Trump took to Truth Social to announce that talks with Tehran were “moving forward rapidly”.
On Monday, Iranian news agency Tasnim reported that Tehran had decided to halt negotiations amid the renewed fighting in Lebanon, demanding a full ceasefire in Gaza and Lebanon and the immediate withdrawal of Israeli forces from Lebanese territory as conditions for their resumption. Iran and allied resistance groups have also threatened to block the Strait of Hormuz and step up operations in the Bab el-Mandeb strait.
A new low in a turbulent alliance
The exchange marks one of the most contentious calls between the two leaders since Trump returned to the White House. While they have previously coordinated closely on Iran and other regional issues, Monday’s conversation was described by one source as “one of the worst” in their recent history.
By Tuesday, however, Trump claimed that Israel and Hezbollah had agreed to a ceasefire, brokered after his call with Netanyahu and contacts with the militant group via intermediaries. In a post on Truth Social, he added that Iran was interested in a peace deal that would benefit the US and its allies.
