US President Donald Trump launched a furious tirade against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a tense phone call on Tuesday, accusing him of reckless escalation in Lebanon.
He also warned that Israel's actions were destroying its standing on the world stage, according to two US officials and a third source briefed on the call who spoke to Axios.
The call, which Axios reports was one of the most hostile exchanges between the two leaders since Trump returned to office, came as Iran threatened to abandon nuclear negotiations with Washington over Israel's military operations in Lebanon against Hezbollah.
Trump, furious that Netanyahu's moves were jeopardizing his diplomatic efforts with Tehran, reportedly called the Israeli prime minister "crazy" and unloaded a string of profanities.
Summarizing Trump's remarks, one US.official told Axios the president told Netanyahu: "You're f***ing crazy. You'd be in prison if it weren't for me. Everybody hates you now. Everybody hates Israel because of this."
A second source briefed on the call told Axios that Trump was "pissed" and at one point yelled, "What the f**k are you doing?"
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Trump also invoked his personal support for Netanyahu during the Israeli leader's ongoing corruption trial, with two sources telling Axios he claimed credit for keeping Netanyahu out of prison.
Trump acknowledged that Hezbollah had been firing on Israel and that Israel had a right to defend itself, but believed Netanyahu had responded disproportionately in recent days, particularly objecting to Israel demolishing entire buildings to eliminate single Hezbollah commanders, killing large numbers of civilians in the process.
The call appeared to yield results. An Israeli official told Axios that Israel no longer plans to strike Hezbollah targets in Beirut. One U.S. official told Axios that Trump had effectively "steamrolled" Netanyahu, with the prime minister ultimately conceding, "OK, OK, just make sure everything is taken care of."
Netanyahu's public statement after the call, however, struck a defiant tone, with the Israeli leader writing, "Our position remains the same" — suggesting Israel would strike Beirut if Hezbollah attacks continued.
שוחחתי הערב עם הנשיא טראמפ ואמרתי לו שאם חיזבאללה לא יחדל לתקוף את ערינו ואזרחינו - ישראל תתקוף מטרות טרור בביירות.
— Benjamin Netanyahu - בנימין נתניהו (@netanyahu) June 1, 2026
עמדתנו זו עומדת בעינה.
במקביל, צה״ל ימשיך לפעול כמתוכנן בדרום לבנון.
After the call, Trump posted on Truth Social that Iran talks were "continuing, at a rapid pace."
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