‘What the f*** are you doing?’: Trump blows up at Netanyahu over Israel’s actions in Lebanon, says report

A phone call between US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly descended into a tense exchange on Monday, with Trump sharply criticising Israel’s recent military actions and warning that they were fuelling international hostility towards the country.

The reported confrontation comes at a sensitive moment in the region, with Washington attempting to keep diplomatic channels with Iran open while tensions continue to simmer across the Middle East. According to a report by Axios, the discussion was triggered after Iran warned it could suspend diplomatic engagement with the United States over ongoing military operations in Lebanon.

Advertisement

Citing US officials familiar with the conversation, Axios reported that Trump was angered by what he viewed as an excessive Israeli response to attacks by Hezbollah. The US President is said to have objected to strikes that resulted in the destruction of entire buildings in pursuit of a Hezbollah commander and also voiced concern over increasingly aggressive rhetoric directed at Beirut.

At one point during the call, Trump allegedly shouted at Netanyahu, asking, “What the f*** are you doing?”

According to another source quoted in the report, Trump told the Israeli leader that Israel’s actions were damaging its standing globally.

“Everybody hates you now. Everybody hates Israel because of this,” the source recalled Trump saying during the exchange.

While Netanyahu’s office later issued a statement saying Israel’s position “remains the same”, a US official quoted by Axios described the conversation as one in which Trump had effectively “steamrolled” the Israeli Prime Minister.

The official claimed Netanyahu eventually backed down during the discussion, telling Trump, “OK, OK, just make sure everything is taken care of.”

One administration official reportedly described the conversation as among the most difficult interactions between the two leaders since Trump returned to office for a second term.

Trump says Beirut operation was halted

Shortly after the reported phone call, Trump claimed on Truth Social that Israeli forces had been pulled back from a planned operation in Beirut.

“I had a very productive call with Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu of Israel, and there will be no troops going to Beirut,” Trump wrote, adding that forces moving towards the Lebanese capital had already been turned around.

Trump also said that, through intermediaries, he had held discussions with Hezbollah representatives and that both sides had agreed to stop firing.

“Israel will not attack them, and they will not attack Israel,” he wrote.

The US President later added that negotiations with Iran were continuing “at a rapid pace”, despite growing uncertainty over the future of those talks.

Netanyahu insists Israel’s position remains unchanged

Netanyahu, however, signalled that Israel was not backing away from its security objectives.

In a statement issued after speaking with Trump, the Israeli Prime Minister said Israel would continue to target Hezbollah if attacks on northern Israel persisted.

“I spoke this evening with President Trump and told him that if Hezbollah does not stop attacking our cities and civilians, Israel will strike terrorist targets in Beirut. This position remains unchanged,” Netanyahu said.

He also stressed that military operations in southern Lebanon would continue as planned.

The statement came after reports that Israel had been preparing additional military action in Beirut’s southern suburbs following renewed tensions with Hezbollah.

Lebanon says Hezbollah accepted US proposal

Adding another layer to the fast-moving diplomatic developments, Lebanon’s presidency announced that it had received confirmation that Hezbollah had agreed to a US-backed proposal calling for a reciprocal halt to attacks.

According to the Lebanese presidency, Israeli strikes on Beirut’s southern suburbs would stop in exchange for Hezbollah refraining from attacks against Israel.

The proposal is expected to be expanded across Lebanese territory, with additional discussions scheduled in the coming days aimed at building on the arrangement.

The Lebanese embassy in Washington also said Hezbollah had accepted the framework and claimed Trump had informed Lebanese officials that Netanyahu had endorsed the proposal.

Iran talks remain in focus

The developments unfolded against the backdrop of wider regional tensions involving Iran.

Earlier reports indicated that Tehran was reconsidering diplomatic engagement with Washington amid the conflict in Lebanon. Trump initially said he had not been informed of any decision to pause talks and suggested he was comfortable waiting if negotiations stalled.

Later, however, he struck a different tone, saying discussions with Iran were continuing.

The uncertainty surrounding the status of the Iran talks has added to concerns over the stability of any ceasefire arrangement involving Israel and Hezbollah, with major issues across the region still unresolved.