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President Donald Trump confirmed calling Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ‘f—ing crazy’ in a heated phone call over Israel’s military operations in Lebanon, exposing a rare rift between the two world leaders.
The New York Post’s Miranda Devine asked Trump on her “Pod Force One” podcast whether he had called Netanyahu “f—ing crazy” and told him that he would be in prison if it weren’t for Trump.
“I did,” Trump said.
Trump’s confirmation marked a rare public acknowledgment of a dispute with Netanyahu, whom he has long described as a close ally.
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The disagreement centers on Israel’s escalating military campaign against Hezbollah in Lebanon. Israeli officials say the operations are aimed at degrading Hezbollah infrastructure after the Iranian-backed group continued launching rocket and drone attacks against Israeli territory despite ceasefire efforts.
Lebanese officials, according to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, relayed to the U.S. that Hezbollah would halt missile attacks on Israel if Israel refrained from striking Beirut, creating what the administration saw as an opening for a broader ceasefire. But the arrangement quickly unraveled after Hezbollah launched additional rocket barrages toward Israel, later claiming it did not believe the ceasefire had yet taken effect. Israel subsequently resumed strikes against Hezbollah targets in Lebanon.
While Israel’s campaign against Hezbollah in Lebanon and U.S.-Iran negotiations may appear to be separate issues, Iranian officials have explicitly linked the two. Hezbollah is Tehran’s most powerful regional proxy, and Iranian officials have warned that continued Israeli operations in Lebanon could jeopardize talks with Washington while insisting that any broader agreement apply across multiple fronts in the region.
That position has complicated the administration’s efforts to pursue diplomacy with Tehran while also backing Israel’s campaign against the Iranian-backed Hezbollah terrorist group.
“I was a little bit perturbed at his constantly fighting with Lebanon, you know. At some point I said, ‘Bibi, we’ve got to stop this. We gotta stop it.'”
“I really love Bibi and work with him excellently,” Trump added. The phone call was first reported by Axios on Monday.
During a Wednesday interview with CNBC, Netanyahu refused to comment directly on the phone call, but alluded to “tactical disagreements” he has with Trump.
“Sometimes we have, as in the best of families, you have these tactical disagreements,” he told the outlet. He added, “We always find a way to work them out, and we do so as great friends.”
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Trump has since said the call helped avert a broader Israeli operation in Lebanon.
Trump wrote in a Truth Social post after the call that Israeli troops were on their way to Beirut but “have already been turned back” following the conversation.
“I had a very productive call with Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu, of Israel, and there will be no Troops going to Beirut, and any Troops that are on their way, have already been turned back,” Trump wrote.
He also wrote in a separate post: “I had a conversation with Bibi Netanyahu today, asking him not to go into a major raid of Beirut, Lebanon. He turned his Troops around. Thank you Bibi!”
The White House referred to Trump’s posts when asked for details on why Trump urged restraint in Lebanon.
Some Israeli officials urged Netanyahu to buck the U.S. president and continue the campaign in Lebanon.
“Mr. Prime Minister, you said that a strong prime minister tells the president of the United States ‘yes’ when possible, and ‘no’ when necessary,” national security minister Ben Gvir wrote on X. “This is the time to tell our friend, President Trump, ‘no.'”
“Now is the time to do what is required and necessary to strike Hezbollah, to unleash the hands of our fighters and to restore security to the north,” the right wing minister added.
Lawmakers asked Rubio about the call during a House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing.
“My worry is that Israel’s insistence on continuing this war against Hezbollah will jeopardize the president’s efforts and the American government’s efforts to reach an agreement with Iran. And so my question is, do you agree that Israel should stop its military campaign in Lebanon and support the president’s negotiations for a peace agreement with Iran?” Rep. Joaquin Castro, D-Texas, asked.
Rubio said the administration had received “multiple indications” that Israel was considering strikes against Hezbollah targets in Beirut. According to Rubio, Lebanese authorities relayed that Hezbollah had indicated it would stop launching missiles into Israel if Israel refrained from striking Beirut. “The president pursued” that opening, Rubio said, but Hezbollah launched additional rockets shortly afterward.
“Unfortunately, within an hour or two of that conversation, they launched two waves of rockets from Hezbollah against Israel and Israeli territory,” Rubio said. Israel has continued operations against Hezbollah, arguing the group remains a threat despite ceasefire efforts.
Rubio defended Israel’s push into the southern part of Lebanon: “The Israelis see Hezbollah moving around, maybe even launching a missile from the South, and they acted it in defense. They go after it in the southern portion. And that’s what we’re seeing in many cases is the defensive strikes. What they are increasingly doing is taking more territory in the south to deny them launching space, because understand, these rockets are being launched into northern villages and cities in Israel, and populations can’t even return to their homes as a result of it.”
The call came as Iran threatened to back out of ongoing negotiations with the U.S. after Israeli military operations in Lebanon, a dispute Tehran warned could jeopardize broader diplomatic efforts in the region.
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For months, the Trump administration has been engaged in negotiations with Iran aimed at extending a fragile ceasefire between Washington and Tehran, reopening the Strait of Hormuz to international shipping and reaching a broader agreement over Iran’s nuclear program, including the future of its stockpile of highly enriched uranium. While officials have said progress has been made, several major issues remain unresolved and negotiations have repeatedly been threatened by renewed tensions across the region.
Israel has intensified operations against Hezbollah in Lebanon, sending troops deeper into southern Lebanon and capturing the strategic Beaufort Castle near Nabatieh. Israeli forces have also conducted waves of airstrikes across southern Lebanon in recent days, saying the attacks are aimed at degrading Hezbollah infrastructure after continued rocket and drone attacks on Israeli territory.
Trump has repeatedly pushed Israel to limit its response to Hezbollah attacks, arguing that military action should be calibrated to avoid triggering a broader regional conflict.
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