'You'd be in prison if it weren't for me': Trump blasts Netanyahu over Lebanon, report says
US President Donald Trump reportedly held a tense phone call with Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, slamming his ingratitude and warning that his Lebanon escalation was threatening to hinder Washington's negotiations with Tehran.
Citing two US officials and a third source briefed on the call, Axios reported that Trump called Netanyahu "crazy" and reminded him of the political cover he had provided during the Israeli leader's corruption trial.
"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," Trump told Netanyahu, according to the report.
A second source said Trump was "pissed" and at one point yelled: "What the fuck are you doing?"
The outburst came after Netanyahu ordered strikes on Beirut's southern suburbs — including the Dahiyeh district — and Israel continued expanding its illegal ground operation in southern Lebanon.
One US official said Trump warned Netanyahu that bombing the Lebanese capital would further isolate Israel internationally. Another said Trump was troubled by the civilian death toll and objected specifically to Israel demolishing entire buildings to assassinate a single Hezbollah commander.
Earlier Monday, Iran had threatened to abandon US-Iranian negotiations and even intervene militarlily over Israeli aggressive measures in Lebanon.
Tehran's central military command warned Israeli settlers in northern occupied territories to prepare for evacuation should strikes on southern Beirut proceed.
Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi reiterated that the ceasefire — brokered by Pakistan on April 8 — covers "all fronts, including Lebanon," and that any violation constitutes a breach of the broader arrangement.
Israel backs down on planned Beirut attack after Iran warns of interventionhttps://t.co/eBhaODWFEq
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Shortly after the call, Trump posted on Truth Social that Iran talks were "continuing, at a rapid pace" and declared he had brokered a halt: "There will be no troops going to Beirut, and any troops that are on their way, have already been turned back."
Netanyahu's public account diverged sharply from Washington's. In a statement after the call, he said he had told Trump that Israel would strike Beirut targets if Hezbollah did not stop attacking Israel, and that southern Lebanon operations would continue regardless.
"Our position remains the same," he wrote.
But a second US official offered a starkly different version, saying Trump had effectively "steamrolled" the Israeli premier. "Bibi said, 'OK, OK, just make sure everything is taken care of,'" the official said.
While Trump and Netanyahu have clashed before, one official described this as one of their worst calls since Trump returned to office.
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