Trump reveals why he called Netanyahu crazy

US President Donald Trump has admitted to calling Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu crazy during a tense phone call about fighting in Lebanon. This happened while the US was trying to find a way to end the conflict with Iran.

In an interview aired on Wednesday, Trump was asked if he referred to the Israeli leader as "effing crazy" and accused him of being ungrateful, echoing a report from Axios.

"I did," Trump replied on the "Pod Force One" podcast. "I wouldn't say angry. I was a little bit perturbed at his constantly fighting with Lebanon, you know."

Trump added that he and Netanyahu have a good relationship.

The Axios report, which quoted an unnamed US official, claimed that during a call on Monday, Trump told Netanyahu, "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."

In the interview, Trump said, "At some point I said, Bibi, we got to stop this. We got to stop it."

Since the Axios report, Israeli officials have not publicly responded to the phone call. However, Israeli media have cited sources who downplay any tension between the two leaders.

Netanyahu's office chose not to comment on Trump's admission of the remarks. Iran has stated that it will not agree to a deal with the US to end the war that Trump and Netanyahu started in late February. This is unless a ceasefire also involves Lebanon, which Israel invaded in March to target the Iran-backed Hezbollah militia that attacked from across the border in support of Tehran.

Despite a US-brokered agreement announced on Monday, fighting has continued. The deal led Israel to reduce attacks on Hezbollah-controlled areas in southern Beirut, while the Iran-backed group agreed to stop cross-border strikes. Israeli drone strikes killed at least six people in southern Lebanon and targeted a vehicle just south of Beirut on Wednesday, as per Lebanese security sources. Israel said it intercepted a hostile aircraft believed to be fired by Hezbollah.

Trump reacted sharply when asked if Netanyahu "tricked" him into attacking Iran. He said his critics were "the enemy."

"I mean, I'm the one that started it," Trump explained. "I started because we can't let them have a nuclear weapon."

"Now that pertains to Israel, because they probably would have been the first one to get hit. There would be no Israel. Tell you what, if there wasn't me, there would be no Israel right now."

Trump insisted that Israel would have been in a much worse situation if he had not pulled out of a 2015 deal made by President Barack Obama and other world leaders with Iran. This deal was about curbing Iran's nuclear program in exchange for lifting sanctions.

After Trump withdrew from the agreement in 2018, Iran began to stockpile near-weapons-grade enriched uranium, which Trump now demands they give up.

Critics of Trump say Iran is now closer to building a nuclear weapon, and it will be difficult for Trump to negotiate a better deal today.

Culled from Reuters