Donald Trump angrily confronted Benjamin Netanyahu over Israel's threats to resume airstrikes on Beirut's southern suburbs, according to a report by Axios. The US president reportedly shouted, 'What the fuck are you doing?' during a phone call on Monday, with a US official summarising Trump's remarks as: 'You're fucking crazy. You'd be in prison if it weren't for me. I'm saving your ass. Everybody hates you now. Everybody hates Israel because of this.'
The call came after Netanyahu ordered the Israeli military to resume bombing the Dahiya area of Beirut to target Hezbollah, prompting the IDF to tell Lebanese civilians to evacuate. Iran subsequently announced on Tuesday that it would suspend peace talks with the US over Israel's campaign in southern Lebanon, insisting that Lebanon should be covered by a ceasefire agreement meant to facilitate negotiations on the Strait of Hormuz and a US blockade of Iranian ports.
Channel 12, an Israeli news network, contested the details of the call. Its chief political analyst, Amit Segal, said Trump had not attacked Netanyahu personally and that the two had agreed Netanyahu would refrain from attacking Beirut suburbs if Hezbollah ceased its attacks on Israel.
Trump and Netanyahu have had a strained relationship in the past. Trump publicly fumed last year that Iran and Israel 'don't know what the fuck they're doing' during a 12-day exchange of strikes. After Netanyahu congratulated Joe Biden on winning the 2020 election, Trump said of him: 'Fuck him.'
Trump faces pressure from different parts of the Republican party, with pro-Israel allies calling for further conflict with Iran while others seek a rapid conclusion to the war to mitigate economic damage before the US mid-term elections. Mark Levin, an influential pro-Israel talk show host, wrote that the leak benefits the Iranian regime, viewing the US as weak and desperate for a deal.
Netanyahu is also under political pressure. Israel's parliament backed a bill this week in the first reading to dissolve the Knesset and trigger early elections, and his corruption trial is scheduled to continue after repeated delays due to the security situation.
