The phone call between US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday was one of the most tense contacts between the two sides since Trump's return to the White House, after the US president sharply criticized Netanyahu over the military escalation in Lebanon, and pressed directly to stop an Israeli plan aimed at bombing the capital Beirut.
Trump accuses Netanyahu of undermining negotiations with Iran
According to the report, the call came at a time when Iran was threatening to abandon ongoing negotiations with Washington over Israeli operations in Lebanon, with Trump accusing Netanyahu of jeopardizing the diplomatic track and undermining U.S. efforts with Tehran.
Trump called Netanyahu "crazy," accused him of not showing gratitude for U.S. support, and warned him that carrying out his threats to bomb Beirut would further isolate Israel internationally.
A U.S. official said Trump acknowledged Israel's right to defend itself, but said Netanyahu had escalated operations disproportionately in recent days, citing Washington's concern about the rising number of civilian casualties in Lebanon and the targeting of entire buildings for the assassination of a single Hezbollah leader.
Direct pressure to stop the plan to strike Beirut
According to Axios, Israel was considering carrying out strikes against Hezbollah targets in Beirut, but an Israeli official confirmed to the website that these plans are no longer on the table after US pressure.
During the call, Trump reminded Netanyahu that he had previously supported him in the face of corruption cases for which he is being prosecuted, considering that this support had a significant political impact in his favor.
Another U.S. official described the call as among the most tense between the two parties, stressing that Trump had succeeded in dissuading Netanyahu from escalation, and that the Israeli prime minister had shown a willingness to move forward with the understandings on the table.
Understandings with Iran. Base Node
Netanyahu issued a statement saying he had told Trump that Israel would attack targets in Beirut if Hezbollah did not stop its attacks, stressing that military operations in southern Lebanon would continue.
But U.S. sources told Axios that Netanyahu showed more flexibility during the call than he showed in his public statement.
The draft memorandum of understanding negotiated by the United States and Iran includes a clause calling for a cessation of hostilities in Lebanon, which has caused previous tensions between Trump and Netanyahu.
After the call ended, Trump wrote on Truth Social that talks with Tehran were "continuing at a rapid pace," suggesting that Israeli escalation was threatening this path.
Israeli Opposition: Netanyahu is a puppet
Israeli opposition forces have lashed out at Netanyahu, after revealing that Trump forced him to halt the planned attack on Beirut's southern suburbs, arguing that the decision reflects the Israeli government's loss of independence and that Netanyahu has become "completely deceptive" to Washington.
Opposition leader Yair Lapid wrote in a brief post on the "X" platform: "Israel is a country under full tutelage," referring to the fact that the final decision on security files is now being made by the White House and not by Tel Aviv.
Yisrael Beiteinu leader and former Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman went further, telling Hebrew Channel 12: "Netanyahu is not a prime minister... He is a puppet," in direct criticism of his compliance with U.S. pressure.
In the same context, former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said that the Netanyahu government "has lost control of Israeli sovereignty," according to the Israel Hayom newspaper, considering that the decision to halt the attack on Beirut revealed the extent of the political and military dependence.
For his part, the extremist National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir sent a direct message to Netanyahu, saying, "A strong prime minister says to the president of the United States: Yes when it is possible... Not when it's necessary."
"It's time to say no to our friend President Trump," he said in a post on X, calling for "unleashing the hand of the army" and starting a broad confrontation with Hezbollah.
The violent political attack on Netanyahu reflects the extent of the division within the Israeli establishment, after it became clear that the decision to halt the attack on Beirut did not stem from an internal security assessment, but rather from direct pressure from Washington, which sparked accusations that Israel is now acting under the "American tutelage" in the files of war and escalation.