Well-informed U.S. sources revealed that U.S. President Donald Trump sharply criticized Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a tense phone call on Monday over Israel's military escalation in Lebanon, marking one of the most friction-filled conversations between the two leaders since Trump's return to the White House.
اضافة اعلان
According to a report published by Axios, Trump used harsh language during the call, describing Netanyahu as "crazy" and expressing his fury over the expansion of Israeli military operations against Hezbollah, which he believed threatened to derail ongoing negotiations between the United States and Iran.
A U.S. official told the website that Trump warned Netanyahu that executing his threats to bomb the Lebanese capital, Beirut, would deepen Israel's international isolation. Meanwhile, two informed sources stated that the U.S. President reminded Netanyahu of his political support during his corruption trials, suggesting that the Israeli Prime Minister does not appreciate this backing.
According to the sources, Trump acknowledged that Hezbollah had carried out attacks against Israeli targets and that Israel has the right to defend itself. However, he viewed the Israeli government's response in recent days as characterized by excessive and disproportionate escalation, particularly with the expansion of ground operations in southern Lebanon and the resulting high number of civilian casualties.
Furthermore, the U.S. President voiced his opposition to the policy of targeting entire buildings to eliminate a single Hezbollah commander, arguing that such operations harm U.S. interests and further complicate the diplomatic track with Tehran.
The sources reported that during the call, Trump successfully dissuaded Israel from executing a plan targeting Hezbollah sites inside Beirut, with an Israeli official later confirming that the IDF no longer intends to carry out those specific strikes.
Sources indicate that Trump's anger was directly linked to concerns that the escalation in Lebanon would collapse U.S.-Iranian negotiations, especially after Tehran previously threatened to withdraw from the talks due to Israeli military operations.
Following the call, Trump sought to reassure the public regarding the future of the negotiations, asserting via the "Truth Social" platform that talks with Iran are still moving "at a fast pace."
For his part, Netanyahu issued a statement confirming he informed Trump that Israel would continue to target sites in Beirut if Hezbollah's attacks on Israel persisted, emphasizing that his government's stance remains unchanged and that military operations in southern Lebanon will continue.
These developments come at a time when the draft understanding being negotiated between Washington and Tehran includes a clause stipulating an end to the fighting in Lebanon—an issue that has been a source of previous disagreements and tense communications between Trump and Netanyahu in recent months.
It is worth noting that the war broke out on March 2 following Hezbollah's rocket fire into Israel, which came in retaliation for the killing of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in the initial joint U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran. Israel responded with a sweeping campaign of airstrikes and a ground incursion into areas of southern Lebanon adjacent to its northern border.
