Axios, so Trump called Netanyahu 'fucking crazy': 'Everyone hates you'
Tough phone call between the two leaders after the Israeli escalation in Lebanon
The two allies in the Iran war show the first cracks in a relationship that seemed stainless. US President Donald Trump reportedly lashed out at Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during their phone call yesterday, calling him "fucking crazy" and telling him that everyone "hates Israel", while calling on Israel to agree to a ceasefire with Hezbollah.
Axios quoted a US official who summed up Trump's message to Netanyahu this way: 'You are fucking crazy. You'd be in jail if it wasn't for me. I'm saving your ass. Now everyone hates you. Everyone hates Israel because of this." A second source briefed on the phone call told the news outlet that the US president was "furious" and at one point yelled at Netanyahu: "What the f...are you doing?"
Two sources also claimed that Trump accused Netanyahu of ingratitude during the phone call about the escalation of fighting in Lebanon decided by the Israeli government, a phone call that Axios described as "full of swear words".
Although US officials told the news site that Trump was aware that Hezbollah had repeatedly fired at Israel and that Jerusalem has the right to respond, the president would believe that the Israeli Defence Forces have reacted disproportionately in recent days, jeopardising Washington's efforts to secure an extension of the ceasefire with Iran, which makes the agreement conditional on a truce in Lebanon.
Trump also reportedly blocked Israel's plan to strike Beirut. A US official claimed that Trump told Netanyahu that following through on his threats to bomb the Lebanese capital would further isolate Israel in the world. Two sources reported that Trump claimed to have helped prevent Netanyahu's arrest, a reference to his support during the Israeli premier's corruption trial.
