Former President Donald Trump - Photo by GL News
WASHINGTON, June 3 (Reuters) – U.S. President Donald Trump acknowledged calling Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “crazy” in an expletive-filled phone exchange over fighting in Lebanon, while the U.S. was trying to negotiate an end to hostilities with Iran.
In an interview broadcast on Wednesday, Trump was asked whether he had called the longtime Israeli leader “effing crazy” and accused him of ingratitude, paraphrasing a report by Axios.
“I did,” Trump told 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 went on to say he and Netanyahu get along very well.
According to the Axios report, which cited an unidentified U.S. official, Trump said to Netanyahu in a call on Monday: “You’re f***** 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.”
Trump said in the interview: “At some point, I said, Bibi, we got to stop this. We got to stop it.”
Trump’s comments come as the Israeli military said it had intercepted rockets fired by Hezbollah into Israel on Wednesday, while Lebanese security sources said an Israeli strike hit a car near Beirut, testing a U.S.-mediated deal that aims to get the sides to curb attacks.
Iran-backed Hezbollah said in a statement it had fired a rocket salvo at an Israeli troop position in northern Israel, the first time it had announced a cross-border missile attack since Monday.
Lebanon has emerged as a focal point of the regional crisis this week, with the risk of further escalation looming over efforts to seal a deal between Iran and the United States. Tehran insists Israel halt Lebanon attacks under any agreement.
Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said on Tuesday that Israel would strike the Hezbollah-controlled southern suburbs of Beirut if northern Israel was attacked.
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