Washington, United States. U.S. President Donald Trump said he had called Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu crazy during a phone exchange over fighting in Lebanon while the United States was trying to negotiate an end to hostilities with Iran. He made the remarks in an interview broadcast Wednesday.
Interview remarks
Trump was asked in the “Pod Force One” podcast whether he had called Netanyahu “effing crazy” and accused him of ingratitude, paraphrasing a report by Axios. “I did,” Trump said. “I wouldn’t say angry. I was a little bit perturbed at his constantly fighting with Lebanon, you know.”
Trump also said that he and Netanyahu get along very well. He added: “At some point I said, Bibi, we got to stop this. We got to stop it.”
Axios report
According to the Axios report, which cited an unidentified U.S. official, Trump told Netanyahu in a call on Monday: “You’re fucking crazy. 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.”
Conflict and diplomacy
Iran has said it will not agree to a deal with the United States to end the war that Trump and Netanyahu launched in late February unless a ceasefire also covers Lebanon. Israel invaded Lebanon in March in pursuit of the Iran-aligned Hezbollah militia, which had fired across the border in support of Tehran.
Hostilities have continued despite a U.S.-mediated agreement announced on Monday that led Israel to step back from attacking the Hezbollah-controlled southern suburbs of Beirut and Hezbollah to halt cross-border strikes.
Fighting in Lebanon
Lebanese security sources said Israeli drone strikes killed at least six people in southern Lebanon and targeted a car just south of Beirut on Wednesday. Israel said it intercepted a hostile aircraft that was likely fired by Hezbollah.
Response to criticism
Trump rejected a suggestion that Netanyahu had “tricked” him into attacking Iran, saying his critics were “the enemy.”
