President Donald Trump acknowledged calling Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “crazy” during a recent expletive-filled phone conversation, expressing frustration that Israel’s war with Hezbollah in Lebanon is stalling U.S.-led peace negotiations with Iran.
Speaking with The New York Post’s “Pod Force One” podcast, Trump downplayed any permanent rift, noting that they connect well as fellow “wartime” leaders.
“We’ve worked very well together. I like Bibi a lot,” Trump said. Netanyahu responded on CNBC, admitting they have “tactical disagreements” but remain aligned on broader goals. “He respects me. I respect him. We always find a way to work out our differences,” Netanyahu said.
The political friction comes as Trump faces mounting domestic pressure to settle the Iran conflict. Rising energy prices and economic uncertainty threaten Republican prospects in the upcoming midterm elections and hamper global commerce. Talks have dragged on for weeks because Iran insists that any potential truce must also quell the fighting in Lebanon.
Security Zones Established
Against this backdrop, Israel and Lebanon agreed Wednesday to renew a fragile ceasefire following a fourth round of U.S.-mediated talks in Washington. The two sides agreed to establish temporary “pilot” security zones inside southern Lebanon from which Hezbollah militants would be banned and replaced by the Lebanese army.
A joint statement noted that the truce “is contingent on a complete cessation of Hezbollah fire and the evacuation of all Hezbollah operatives” south of the Litani River. The statement also explicitly condemned Iran’s regional actions, rejecting “any attempt, by any state or non-state actor, to hold Lebanon’s future hostage.”
Despite the breakthrough, Trump remained noncommittal about a timeline for ending the broader Iran conflict, noting the strategic Strait of Hormuz might stay blocked through Labor Day on Sept. 7. He added that Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei—who succeeded his father after the elder Khamenei was killed in a joint U.S.-Israeli airstrike in February—is “involved” and giving approvals from his bed while recovering from airstrike wounds.
The regional instability was underscored Wednesday in the Persian Gulf, where an Iranian drone strike struck a passenger terminal at Kuwait’s main airport, killing one person and wounding dozens.
Hostilities Continue on the Ground
Meanwhile, the path to a lasting peace on the ground remains volatile. Hours before the Washington talks resumed, an unannounced Israeli airstrike struck a vehicle on a busy highway in Khaldeh, just south of Beirut. The strike occurred despite a U.S.-brokered agreement on Monday where Israel pledged to halt strikes on Beirut’s suburbs in exchange for Hezbollah stopping rocket fire into northern Israel.
Lebanon hopes to expand the truce into a nationwide ceasefire. Israel, conversely, demands the immediate disarmament of Hezbollah before withdrawing its troops from dozens of occupied southern villages.
Israeli operations continued across southern Lebanon, heavily impacting the cities of Tyre and Nabatiyeh. An overnight strike near Tyre killed four Syrian nationals and two Palestinians. Following warnings from the Israeli military that Hezbollah operatives were hiding within local Christian neighborhoods—where many displaced Shiite Muslims had recently sought refuge—the Lebanese army deployed to the district to demonstrate the absence of armed militants.
The ground war began on March 2, when Israel invaded southern Lebanon following rocket attacks fired by Hezbollah in solidarity with Iran. To date, the hostilities have killed 3,468 people in Lebanon and displaced 1.2 million. On the Israeli side, Netanyahu’s office reports that at least 27 soldiers, one defense contractor, and two civilians have been killed.
The human toll continues to mount for civilians returning home. In the village of Marwanieyh, a family returned to their home believing it was safe. A day later, two rockets struck the three-story building, killing six family members. The sole survivor, 13-year-old Ahmed Al-Abdallah, was thrown clear of the blast with two broken legs and shrapnel wounds.
“What good is talking now? They are gone, and nothing will bring them back,” the boy’s uncle, Eissa Al-Abdallah, told reporters. “This land costs blood.”
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