President Donald Trump confirmed Tuesday, June 3, that he called Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “crazy” — and didn’t stop there. Trump also acknowledged cursing at Netanyahu during the same heated phone call, in which he told the Israeli leader not to bomb Beirut, the Lebanese capital.
Despite the sharp exchange, Trump said the two still get along.
The White House hasn’t released a transcript of the call, and the timing of the conversation wasn’t immediately clear from Trump’s remarks. What is clear is that the call was contentious enough that Trump, by his own account, both insulted and swore at one of the United States’ closest allies in the Middle East.
The call
Trump’s confirmation came unprompted — he appeared to own the characterization rather than walk it back. Netanyahu’s office hasn’t publicly addressed Trump’s description of the call or the language used during it.
The exchange over Beirut reflects the tension that has simmered between Washington and Jerusalem over how far Israel should take its military operations in Lebanon. Beirut has already sustained heavy damage from Israeli strikes in recent years, and any new assault on the capital would carry significant diplomatic consequences for the U.S.
Whether the phone call produced any concrete change in Israeli military planning isn’t known. Netanyahu’s government hasn’t said whether Trump’s objections factored into any operational decisions.
Reported by NPR. Read the original report.
