A diplomatic exchange between President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has drawn attention after Trump expressed gratitude for Israel’s decision to cancel a planned military strike in Beirut, though private reports suggest their conversation was far more contentious.
Trump posted on Truth Social about his discussion with Netanyahu, stating he had requested the Israeli leader avoid conducting what he characterized as a significant operation in Lebanon’s capital city.
“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!” Trump wrote.
The president also revealed he had reached out to Hezbollah through intermediaries and stated the organization had committed to ceasing hostilities.
“I also had a conversation with representatives of the leaders of Hezbollah, and they agreed to stop shooting at Israel, and its soldiers,” Trump posted.
“Likewise, Israel agreed to stop shooting at them. Let’s see how long that lasts — Hopefully it will be for ETERNITY!” he added.
Israeli military sources indicated that no forces were actually en route to Beirut on Monday, despite earlier announcements from Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz that the Israel Defense Forces would strike Hezbollah infrastructure in and near the Lebanese capital.
Even with the ceasefire declaration, Israel noted that Hezbollah deployed drones against forces in southern Lebanon, causing alert sirens to sound in northern Israel. The IDF retaliated with attacks on Hezbollah locations.
According to an Axios report, Trump and Netanyahu had an intense disagreement about Israel’s military tactics and the ceasefire agreement. The report, citing two administration officials and another source, described Trump questioning plans to demolish buildings in Beirut to target Hezbollah commanders, asking Netanyahu: “What the f*ck are you doing?”
The report indicated Trump also mentioned his previous support for Netanyahu regarding legal matters in Israel, telling the prime minister: “You’re f*cking crazy. You’d be in jail if it weren’t for me. I’m saving your ass. Everyone hates you now, and everyone hates Israel because of this.”
Axios reported that White House frustration grew after Iran threatened to withdraw from negotiations with Washington due to Israeli activities in Lebanon. The United States and Iran are currently in talks about a comprehensive memorandum of understanding that includes provisions to end the fighting in Lebanon.
Sources indicated that US officials back Israel’s right to defend against Hezbollah attacks but have disagreements about the extent of IDF operations in Lebanon. A senior US official quoted by Axios said Netanyahu replied: “Okay, okay, just make sure everything is handled.”
The Prime Minister’s Office refused to provide an official comment on the details reported by Axios.
Netanyahu subsequently offered a different version of their conversation, stating he had told Trump that Israel would conduct strikes in Beirut if Hezbollah continued launching attacks into Israeli territory. He also indicated that operations in southern Lebanon would proceed and that Israel’s stance remained unchanged.
Multiple Israeli political leaders openly condemned the choice to abort the planned Beirut strikes. Former IDF chief of staff and Yashar! Party leader Gadi Eisenkot described Trump’s instruction as “a humiliating demand, one that is blatantly unreasonable.” Eisenkot noted that Netanyahu “is the man who preached morals to everyone about the basic need to be a prime minister and know how to say ‘no’ to the President of the United States.”
Opposition leader Yair Lapid criticized Netanyahu for behaving as if Israel were a protectorate of the United States. Lapid also demanded a “powerful response” to the rocket fire from Lebanon, stating that “the responsibility for the security of Israeli citizens lies solely with the Israeli government.”
