US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly engaged in a heated telephone conversation over the future of the Iran war, with the exchange escalating into what sources described as a "shouting match from hell", according to Israeli media reports.
The conversation, which took place over the weekend, reportedly exposed differences between Washington and Tel Aviv over whether military strikes against Iran should resume or diplomatic negotiations should be allowed to continue.
๐๐ฒ๐ฎ๐๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ฒ๐ ๐ฐ๐ต๐ฎ๐ป๐ด๐ฒ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฝ๐ผ๐ฟ๐๐ฒ๐ฑ
Israeli news outlets Ynet and Yedioth Ahronoth reported that Netanyahu repeatedly urged Trump to restart military operations against Tehran, while the US President remained reluctant to resume hostilities and favoured continued negotiations.
Sources familiar with the discussion described the conversation as unusually tense, with one characterising it as a "shouting match from hell".
However, Netanyahu's office strongly rejected the reports, dismissing the allegations as "fake news" and "complete nonsense".
A senior Israeli official acknowledged that the two leaders had spoken over the weekend but denied that the conversation had turned confrontational, insisting that it was "very much not a difficult conversation".
๐๐ถ๐ณ๐ณ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ๐ ๐ผ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ป ๐๐๐ฟ๐ฎ๐๐ฒ๐ด๐
The reported disagreement comes amid growing differences over the next phase of the Iran conflict. Netanyahu has repeatedly advocated renewed military action against Tehran and argued that removing Iran's leadership is necessary to eliminate its nuclear threat permanently.
Trump, however, has preferred to continue economic pressure and diplomatic engagement in an effort to secure concessions from Iran without restarting military operations.
According to a Financial Times report, Netanyahu had been calling Trump daily in an attempt to persuade him to resume a full-scale military campaign against Iran.
Addressing the newly constituted 26th Knesset on Tuesday, Netanyahu reiterated his position that Iran was rebuilding its nuclear capabilities and maintained that regime change was the only lasting solution.
"Iran is working to renew the nuclear threat. The only way to permanently remove this existential threat is by toppling the ayatollah regime," Netanyahu said.
The Israeli Prime Minister's remarks underscored his government's continued preference for a more aggressive approach towards Tehran, even as Washington explored diplomatic alternatives.
๐ง๐ฟ๐๐บ๐ฝ ๐ณ๐ฎ๐๐ผ๐๐ฟ๐ ๐ฑ๐ถ๐ฝ๐น๐ผ๐บ๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ฐ ๐ฎ๐ฝ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ผ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ต
Trump, meanwhile, indicated during an interview with CBS's 60 Minutes, aired on Sunday, that he saw no immediate justification for restarting the war.
Asked whether he would resume military operations against Iran, the US President said he did not believe there was "any reason to" do so.
The two leaders have previously been reported to have engaged in heated telephone conversations over military operations in the Middle East. Following disagreements in June, Trump acknowledged having used strong language while speaking to Netanyahu.
๐ง๐ฒ๐ป๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป๐ ๐ฎ๐บ๐ถ๐ฑ ๐ฝ๐ผ๐น๐ถ๐๐ถ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐น ๐๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐๐ฎ๐ถ๐ป๐๐
The latest reports have emerged at a politically sensitive moment for both leaders, with Netanyahu facing uncertainty following his party's loss of seats in Israel's October general election.
Despite the reported differences, neither Washington nor Tel Aviv has announced a formal change in their strategic relationship.
While Israeli media accounts suggest a widening disagreement over Iran, Netanyahu's office has maintained that the weekend conversation was not confrontational.