Trump says he berated ‘crazy’ Netanyahu in heated phone call over Lebanon

US President Donald Trump has confirmed that he angrily confronted Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a phone call this week, saying he was frustrated by the regime’s continued attacks on Lebanon.

In an interview with the New York Post, Trump said that he was “a little bit perturbed” by Israel’s continued attacks on Lebanon, which have complicated efforts to secure a broader agreement with Iran aimed at ending regional tensions and reopening the Strait of Hormuz.

When asked whether he called Netanyahu “f*** crazy” during a Monday phone call, Trump said, “I did.”

“I was a little bit perturbed at his constantly fighting with Lebanon,” Trump added.

The US president, however, claimed that he and Netanyahu have “worked very well together.”

Trump’s explosive language with Netanyahu was first reported on Monday by US publication Axios. According to the report, Trump lashed out at Netanyahu over the escalation in Lebanon, telling him he’d “be in prison if it weren’t for me.”

“Everybody hates you now. Everybody hates Israel because of this,” Trump shouted at Netanyahu.

The angry phone call came after Tehran warned that a renewed offensive in Beirut would prompt a response from Iranian armed forces and derail an already shaky ceasefire with Washington.

Netanyahu had ordered the Israeli military to resume bombing the southern Dahiya area of Beirut.

The US president also confirmed that he communicated with Hezbollah through intermediaries in an effort to contain the escalation and keep diplomatic channels open.

Fighting, however, showed little sign of easing, with Israeli forces carrying out airstrikes across southern Lebanon and Hezbollah responding with retaliatory rocket and drone attacks against Israeli military positions and settlements in the occupied territories.

Iran draws red line: No final deal with US until Israel ends onslaught against Lebanon

Iran

Washington has held indirect talks with Iran over a potential memorandum of understanding that could pave the way for the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and a broader settlement of regional disputes.

Trump claimed in the Post interview that negotiations were “rapidly evolving” and expressed hope that an agreement could be reached “fairly quickly.”

The US president also said he believes the Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Seyyed Mojtaba Khamenei, is playing a central role in decisions surrounding the negotiations and indicated that he would like to meet him in the future if circumstances permit.

“I’d like to meet him,” Trump said. “We probably will meet at some point, depending on how it all works out.”

Tehran has maintained that a ceasefire in Lebanon is inseparable from any final agreement to end the illegal war the US and Israel launched on Iran in late February.

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