Jens Asbjørn Bøgen
Trump reportedly also used a lot of words not suitable to be repeated.
Maintaining international ties often looks completely polished on the world stage.
But behind closed doors, things can fall apart fast. When conflicting strategies clash, even the closest political partners can experience a spectacular breakdown.
A furious confrontation
President Donald Trump reportedly scolded Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a tense phone call on Monday.
According to Axios, sources described the exchange as one of the worst calls since Trump returned to office. It was allegedly laden with expletives.
For context, Iran threatened to walk away from its ongoing negotiations with the United States earlier that day over Israel’s military actions in Lebanon.
Trump reportedly lost his temper completely over the escalation, calling Netanyahu “expletive crazy,” the sources told Axios.
Harsh words exposed
The specific details of the argument paint a remarkably blunt picture.
Summarizing Trump’s remarks, one U.S. official said: “You’d be in prison if it weren’t for me. I’m saving your ass. Everybody hates you now. Everybody hates Israel because of this.”
The dressing-down did not stop there. A second source familiar with the call noted that Trump was furious, at one point yelling: “What the expletive are you doing?”
The jail comment referenced Trump’s support during Netanyahu’s corruption trials. Beyond personal insults, American officials felt that Israel’s military response against Hezbollah had become entirely disproportionate.
The diplomatic fallout
The intense pressure from Washington triggered an immediate shift. An Israeli official told Axios that the country subsequently abandoned its plans to launch airstrikes inside the Lebanese capital.
Publicly, the prime minister tried to maintain a firm stance. Netanyahu released a statement saying that “our position remains the same” and insisting that strikes would resume if attacks continued.
Yet insider accounts suggest a total blowout. A second U.S. official claimed Trump’s lashing out left Netanyahu simply replying, “OK, OK, just make sure everything is taken care of.”
Shortly after hanging up, Trump turned to Truth Social. He announced that the sensitive diplomatic talks with Iran were still moving forward at a rapid pace.
Israeli minister: Tell Trump “no”
Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir took to X after reports of the heated phone call were leaked, taking a more confrontational stance toward Trump.
In the post, Ben-Gvir said:
Mr. Prime Minister, You said that a strong prime minister tells the President of the United States — ‘yes’ when possible, and ‘no’ when necessary.
This is the time to tell our friend, President Trump — ‘no’.
Now is the time to do what is required and necessary to strike Hezbollah, to unleash the hands of our fighters, and to restore security to the north.
Ben-Gvir is the leader of the far-right party Jewish Power and has been involved in several controversies.
Earlier this month, he drew international condemnation after sharing a video of arrested Gaza activists, showing himself gloating over the blindfolded and bound activists.
He has since been banned from French territory due to his behavior.
Click to display external content from x,
- You can always enable and disable third-party content.
You agree to display external third-party content. Personal data may be sent to the provider of the content and other third-party services.
Sources: Axios, The Times of Israel, X post from Itamar Ben-Gvir, France24
