Trump Confirms Profane Call With Netanyahu Over Lebanon Escalation

President Donald Trump confirmed that he used profane language toward Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a recent phone call, telling him to stop escalating in Lebanon. The Israeli outlet Globes reported the confirmation, and Ynet quoted Trump saying that at one point he told the prime minister, in his words, that they had to stop the fighting, while adding that he likes Netanyahu and works well with him.

Reporting from American outlets described a sharper exchange. According to Axios, Trump told Netanyahu he was "fucking crazy" and warned that Israel's expansion into Lebanon was threatening to collapse the negotiations Washington had been pursuing with Iran. Trump also pressed Israel to call off a planned strike on Beirut.

The dispute is central to the wider war. Russia's RIA Novosti reported that Trump said a United States ground operation against Iran was unnecessary, reinforcing his stated preference for a deal over a deeper military commitment. The friction with Netanyahu suggests Washington views Israeli action in Lebanon as a direct obstacle to that goal.

The public disclosure of this dispute between two close allies matters for markets because it signals that the United States may restrain, rather than reinforce, the most expansive Israeli operations, a factor that influences how quickly the regional conflict could de-escalate.