‘Everybody hates you’: Trump yells at Netanyahu over Lebanon escalation
‘Everybody hates you’: Trump yells at Netanyahu over Lebanon escalation
US President Donald Trump reportedly told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that he is “fucking crazy” and that “everybody hates Israel”, after Iran suspended peace talks over Tel Aviv’s plans to renew an assault on the Lebanese capital, Beirut.
American officials cited by Axios described the call as “expletive-laden,” saying Trump had “steamrolled” Netanyahu, warning him that further attacks on Lebanon would isolate Israel internationally.
Summarising Trump’s comments, the official said: “I’m saving your ass. Everybody hates you now. Everybody hates Israel because of this.”
A second source said that at one point during the call, Trump yelled: “What the fuck are you doing?”
Two officials reported that the US president accused Netanyahu of “ingratitude” for keeping him out of prison – an apparent reference to the Israeli leader’s ongoing corruption trial and Trump’s public calls for Netanyahu to be pardoned.
The call came shortly after Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said its negotiating team had “suspended talks and message exchange through mediators” over Netanyahu’s announcement of further attacks on Dahieh, Beirut’s southern suburb.
Initially, Trump said of Iran’s suspension of the talks: “I don’t care if they’re over, honestly…I really don’t care. I couldn’t care less.”
Following the call, Trump announced on social media that: “There will be no Troops going to Beirut, and any Troops that are on their way, have already been turned back.”
He added that he had a “very good call with Hezbollah” about the implementation of a ceasefire.
“They agreed that all shooting will stop – That Israel will not attack them, and they will not attack Israel.”
Hezbollah member of parliament Hassan Fadlallah said in a statement on Monday that the group supports a “full ceasefire” throughout all of Lebanon, adding it would be a precursor to an Israeli troop withdrawal from all Lebanese territory.
Fadlallah added that Hezbollah rejected a partial truce offer that would spare Beirut from strikes in return for a halt to Hezbollah’s attacks in northern Israel.
The Lebanese presidency confirmed later on Monday that Hezbollah agreed to a US proposal on a “mutual cessation of attacks” that would expand across all of Lebanon.
Netanyahu, however, said Israel’s “stance… remains unchanged”.
“I spoke with President Trump and told him that if Hezbollah does not cease attacking our cities and citizens – Israel will attack terror targets in Beirut. This stance of ours remains unchanged,” the Israeli prime minister said on X.
Trump told NBC that he has not heard directly from Iran since the suspension of talks.
“I think we’ve been talking too much if you want to know the truth. I think going silent would be very good, and that could be for a long time.
“It doesn’t mean we’re going to go and start dropping bombs all over there. We’ll just go silent. We’ll keep the blockade. Blockade is a piece of steel.”
He later wrote on social media that talks with Iran are continuing “at a rapid pace”.
المصدر: Middle East Eye
