US President Donald Trump confirmed Wednesday that he did in fact curse at Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a tense phone call earlier this week and dropped a significant hint about upcoming diplomacy with Iran.
Speaking on a New York Post podcast, Trump acknowledged the expletive-filled exchange when asked directly. "I'm not sure I'd say I was angry - I was a little irritated," Trump said, explaining he was frustrated by Israel's escalating operations in Lebanon and their potential to derail his administration's negotiations with Iran.
According to earlier reporting by Axios, Trump's message to Netanyahu included the words: "You're f***ing 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." An Israeli official later said the call was "tense" but disputed some details of that account.
The heated exchange came as Iranian state media announced Tehran was suspending US-Iran nuclear negotiations, a move triggered by Israel's threats to strike Hezbollah targets in Beirut. Trump pushed Netanyahu to scale back the planned offensive, and later claimed he had successfully deterred "a major raid of Beirut."
Despite the drama, Trump was quick to reaffirm his personal affection for the Israeli leader. "We work great together, I love Bibi very much," he said.
