Trump Netanyahu phone call has emerged as a flashpoint in US diplomacy, after President Donald Trump acknowledged using expletives and calling Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu "crazy" during a Monday conversation, the president said in an interview on the Pod Force One podcast.
Trump told the podcast he was "a little bit perturbed" that Israel's fighting with Hezbollah in Lebanon was hindering efforts to extend a ceasefire with Iran and open talks on Tehran's nuclear future, while stressing he still likes and works well with Netanyahu.
Netanyahu dismissed suggestions of a rupture in an interview on CNBC, saying he and Trump sometimes have "tactical disagreements" but share "common goals" and "agree on the main things." He added they "always find a way to work out our differences."
Experts quoted in reporting warned the call could signal White House frustration over misaligned priorities. Brett Bruen, a former diplomat, said Netanyahu often acts independently of Washington. Natan Sachs, a US Israeli relations expert, described Netanyahu as a difficult and suspicious negotiator whose approach has repeatedly tested US presidents.
Reporting noted the call comes as the US considers a deal to extend a fragile ceasefire with Iran, with the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and efforts to prevent Tehran from obtaining a nuclear weapon at stake. Observers also pointed to shifting US public views on Israel, citing a Pew Research Poll that found an increase in negative opinions, and to prominent conservative criticism, including Joe Kent's comments and a response from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee.
Lebanon Fighting, Ceasefire Talks And Wider Impact
The reported dispute also intersected with intensified fighting in Lebanon and US-mediated talks between Israel and Lebanon. Reporting described strikes across southern Lebanon, including an attack on a car near Beirut and strikes near Tyre and Nabatiyeh that killed foreign nationals and displaced many civilians.
One family in Marwaniyeh suffered heavy losses after rockets hit their home, leaving a 13-year-old the sole survivor, according to reporting. Overall figures cited in reporting put Lebanese fatalities at 3,468 and displacement at 1.2 million people, while Israeli losses included at least 27 soldiers and a defense contractor, with civilian deaths in northern Israel also reported.
Diplomatic efforts have produced a US-brokered agreement language that would bar Hezbollah from designated security "pilot" zones inside Lebanon and call for the Lebanese army to assume control in those areas, while Israel has sought disarmament of Hezbollah as a condition for a broader withdrawal of its forces.
The conflict's wider repercussions reached Washington, where the US House approved a war powers resolution by a 215-208 roll call to try to halt US military action against Iran, reflecting domestic pressure on the administration even as officials pursue a ceasefire extension and wider talks.
