Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is concerned that his recent tense phone call with US President Donald Trump over a planned Israeli strike in Beirut could pave the way for additional American restrictions on the IDF’s freedom of action in Lebanon, Channel 12 reports.
According to the report, Israeli officials fear the Trump administration could expand on its demand that Israel refrain from striking Beirut and begin limiting IDF operations in Lebanon more broadly. One Israeli source familiar with the matter tells the network that Netanyahu is particularly concerned Washington could insist that the IDF operate only in cases of an immediate threat to troops, a shift from current policy.
The network reports that Trump was angered by a joint statement issued by Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz, as well as a video published by Netanyahu threatening strikes in Beirut. According to a senior US official cited by the network, Trump felt Netanyahu was “out of control” and at risk of undermining ongoing US-Iran negotiations.
An Israeli source briefed on the call describes it as “a terrible conversation,” telling Channel 12 that Trump “really went at Bibi” and demanded he immediately abandon plans to strike Beirut and avoid jeopardizing talks with Iran.
A separate Channel 12 report reveals that Trump and Netanyahu held an undisclosed phone call several days earlier, during which they reportedly agreed that Israel would issue an evacuation warning for Beirut’s Dahiyeh district – a known Hezbollah stronghold – solely as a threat, without any intention of carrying out a strike. The move was reportedly meant to pressure Hezbollah and support negotiations with the Lebanese government.
According to the report, officials in the Trump administration later became concerned that Netanyahu might use that understanding as a basis for carrying out an actual strike, prompting Trump to intervene and halt the planned operation.
Channel 12 reports that Israel had already prepared for a strike in Beirut and was awaiting only final US approval before Trump intervened to call off the attack.
The network further reports that the statement issued by Netanyahu after his first call with Trump – warning that Israel would strike Beirut if Hezbollah continued firing at Israeli cities – further irritated the administration and led to another, even harsher conversation between the two leaders.
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