"What the hell are you doing?! (...) You're freaking crazy. You'd be in prison if it weren't for me. I'm saving your ass. Now everyone hates you, and everyone hates Israel for this." This is, according to Axios, the content of the explosive call held on Monday between the furious U.S. President Donald Trump, and the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. A call filled with frustration on a day marked by the Iranian threat to disrupt peace negotiations due to the constant Israeli attacks in Lebanon and Trump's increasing visible desperation to try to get out of the mess he got himself into almost 100 days ago.
Axios, a small media outlet founded in 2016, has been showing what seems like privileged access to the president, his circle, and sources not only from the government and defense but also from Israel and Gulf countries. One of its correspondents has spoken with Trump almost every week in these short calls, lasting just a few minutes, which have become a major innovation at the White House. However, they have also become the subject of much ridicule due to their journalists' tendency to take information at face value, especially regarding progress in negotiations, the Iranian position (regularly denied by Tehran), and the imminent agreement.
Many analysts accuse Axios of becoming a tool for the administration to push its message. If that's the case, the message being sent to Tel Aviv on Monday is clear and forceful. One for the international community in general, but also for the ayatollahs, to make them think that Washington is determined.
According to their information, after Iran threatened to leave the negotiations, Trump scolded Netanyahu and accused him of ingratitude. He forced Israel's plan to attack Beirut, which had been leaked hours earlier. According to a U.S. official quoted in the piece, Trump told his main ally in the region that bombing the Lebanese capital would further isolate Israel in the world and insisted that if it weren't for him and his pressure, Netanyahu would already be in prison. Referring to his support during the corruption trial, which has also been put on hold due to the war.
A second source familiar with the call reportedly said that Trump was "furious" and at one point shouted at Netanyahu, "What the hell are you doing?". Just as he scolded him in the past for the operation carried out on Qatari soil, to the extent of making him call from the White House, with him listening, to apologize and promise it wouldn't happen again.
Right after hanging up today, Trump posted a message on his social media. "Today I spoke with Bibi Netanyahu and asked him not to carry out a massive attack on Beirut, Lebanon. His troops turned back. Thank you, Bibi! I also spoke with representatives of Hezbollah leaders, who agreed to stop shooting at Israel and its soldiers. Likewise, Israel agreed to stop shooting at them. We'll see how long this lasts; hopefully forever!", he wrote.
"I spoke tonight with President Trump and told him that if Hezbollah doesn't stop attacking our cities and citizens, Israel will target terrorist objectives in Beirut. Our position remains firm. Meanwhile, the Army will continue to act as planned in southern Lebanon," tweeted the Israeli Prime Minister hours later.
Today, the president showed his impotence and desperation in different interviews and messages. Revealing his lack of control over the situation, his eagerness to close the matter, and the lack of means to achieve it. "I don't care if peace negotiations are over, honestly. I really don't care. I couldn't care less. If they're over, they're over. If they're not... I think they've taken too much of our time. Frankly, I think they started to get very boring," he said in a conversation with CNBC.
Shortly after, however, and as he usually does, he said the complete opposite to another journalist, speculating that he believes he will reach an agreement with Iran to extend the ceasefire and reopen the Strait of Hormuz "within the next week."
"Everything looks good, everything looks good," he told ABC News' chief correspondent in Washington, Jonathan Karl. "There was a little setback today, but I fixed it very quickly, as you probably noticed earlier (...) I spoke with Hezbollah and told them not to shoot, and I spoke with Bibi and told them not to shoot, and both stopped shooting at each other," Trump stated.
The president, who has recently celebrated several times the total victory, has boasted of having destroyed and neutralized the Iranian army and navy, claiming that Tehran has no military capability (despite still having missiles, drones, mines, and boats capable of closing the Strait of Hormuz). He stated that a peace agreement with Iran could be "even better than a military victory. It's not simple. We're talking about a very large country, a huge country... reaching an agreement. The hostility is tremendous, really. So it's not easy for them. In fact, it's not easy for us either. But we're getting what we need. I still have to get a few more points," he clarified why he hadn't announced an agreement yet, as was assumed last week.