President Donald Trump told Axios he was 'so pissed off' about Prime Minister Netanyahu's decision to strike Beirut, saying he told Netanyahu he has 'no fucking judgement,' according to a report aired at 19:20 Jerusalem. The remarks are the most explicit account yet of Trump's anger over Israeli military operations that he believes complicate his diplomatic push with Iran.
President Donald Trump escalated his public criticism of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in an interview with Axios published at 19:20 Jerusalem, saying he was 'so pissed off' about the Beirut strike and called it 'a fucking attack.' Trump said he told Netanyahu he has 'no fucking judgement' and that he 'let him know' his anger. The interview adds profanity-laced frustration to a rapid sequence of Trump statements that began at 19:10 Jerusalem, when he told Channel 12 News he was 'very angry' and that 'Bibi has no fucking judgment.' By 19:12, journalist Amichai Stein (i24NEWS) reported Trump said he was 'not satisfied' with Netanyahu. At 19:14, a report from Israeli media quoted Trump saying he conveyed his displeasure directly. At 19:16, Trump reportedly expected an Iran deal within hours and asked Iran not to fire. The Axios interview, published at 19:20, is the most explicit account yet, directly quoting Trump's profanity about the strike. The White House has not yet issued a response to the Axios report. The Zioneer reported earlier today (19:17) that Trump told Fox News he swore at Netanyahu over the same strike and said he would ask Iran not to retaliate with ballistic missiles. On Jun 9, The Zioneer reported Trump called Israel's counterstrike in Iran 'unnecessary' but said he understood why Israel acted. On Jun 11, The Zioneer reported White House sources said Trump was furious that his own strikes on Iran were not seen as forceful enough. On Jun 13, The Zioneer reported Axios said Trump told Netanyahu 'it's time to end this war' with Iran. It remains unclear whether the Axios report reflects a change in U.S. policy or a personal grievance; Trump's messaging has oscillated in recent days between telling Netanyahu to 'do what's right but stop soon' and saying 'we haven't hit Iran hard enough yet.' No official response from the White House or the Prime Minister's Office has been reported.
11 developments
- DevelopingTrump: Netanyahu will have no choice but to accept any Iran agreement
- ConfirmedTrump says Netanyahu will do what he tells him, claims Israel won't return to war with Iran
- DevelopingTrump tells Netanyahu 'what the f--- are you doing' in phone call — reported by Amit Segal
- DevelopingTrump reveals new details of calls with Netanyahu in interview
Source and signal
- Internal intake