Reports indicate that President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have shifted from being close partners to trading sharp, raised voices over how to handle the Iran confrontation.
Yet when Netanyahu’s team rebutted the claims of the explosive call, it leaned on the same line Trump often uses to dismiss unfavorable coverage—“fake news.”
The alleged clash highlights a widening split between the two leaders over whether to restart airstrikes against Iran or to give diplomacy more room to work. Netanyahu has continued pressing Trump to resume the conflict, while the president has resisted a new escalation, even as Israel readies for the possibility of a fresh strike.
Israeli media outlets reported that a weekend phone call between the leaders turned heated, with one source characterizing it as a “shouting match from hell,” according to the New York Post.
Netanyahu repeatedly urged a renewal of military action, while Trump preferred granting more time to the ongoing talks with Tehran.
A senior Israeli official acknowledged that the two leaders spoke over the weekend but insisted there had been no confrontation.
The alleged clash was not their first tense exchange over the war.
Trump had previously conceded to having an explosive discussion with Netanyahu in June, admitting during an interview with the New York Post’s “Pod Force One” podcast that he described the Israeli prime minister as “f—king crazy” during one of their conversations.
The latest reports also align with a pattern of Netanyahu’s increasingly forceful lobbying efforts.
The Financial Times had reported days earlier that the Israeli leader had been contacting Trump every day to push for an all-out military campaign against Iran.
“Netanyahu calls him every day [to urge him to resume the war]. Those who don’t want a war within the White House and outside have been trying to combat that,” a person familiar with the discussions told the newspaper.
The same source noted that Gulf leaders were pressing Trump to emphasize negotiations rather than launch another offensive. Arab and Muslim leaders have reportedly grown alarmed by Netanyahu’s continued push for renewed fighting.
Trump appeared to acknowledge those concerns after meeting with Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, whose government has been mediating between Washington and Tehran.
“Qatar, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Bahrain, Kuwait and others would prefer the status quo,” Trump wrote on Truth Social, adding that renewed American strikes on Iran looked “quite unlikely.”
A second source familiar with the situation in Israel told the Financial Times that Netanyahu wanted to restart military action but noted there was currently no coordinated “push” to persuade Trump.
Netanyahu has been especially adamant about removing Iran’s leadership. Speaking to the 26th Knesset assembly on Tuesday, he contended that regime change was essential to eliminate Tehran’s threat.
“Iran is working to renew the nuclear threat. The only way to permanently remove this existential threat is by toppling the Ayatollah regime,” he declared.
Yet Trump has increasingly favored economic pressure over another round of bombing. During his Sunday appearance on CBS’s “60 Minutes,” he was asked whether he would restart the war.
“I don’t think there’s any reason to,” he replied.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio echoed that stance on Tuesday, arguing that sanctions, a naval blockade and other economic measures were weakening Iran without the need for additional military strikes.
“We don’t need to conduct military strikes if we’re achieving the same objective through economic means and economic pressure,” Rubio told reporters, according to Fox News.
He rejected suggestions that Washington and Tehran had reached a stalemate, saying, “They’re bleeding. They’re bleeding economically,” and adding, “It is an increased pressure on Iran that continues to grow every day.”
Trump defended the military campaign again on Wednesday during his Veterans Day address at Arlington National Cemetery, asserting that the United States had won the conflict but insisting the country should secure a total victory before ending it.
“America did not start a war with Iran. Iran has been waging war on America since 1979. They should have been taken care of a long time ago,” he said. “And it was just about time somebody fought back. All of us fought back. We fought back, and we fought back. We won. Now the question is when we want to end. We must have a total victory. Not a 93% victory. It’s going to be total,” Trump continued.
He acknowledged that the United States had suffered casualties during the roughly seven months of conflict.
“We lost 18 beautiful souls,” Trump said. “When this conflict is over, and it will be soon, the entire world will be much safer, a better place, more peaceful place and a place without the kind of danger that we had to suffer.”
Trump’s remarks have already had a noticeable impact on financial markets, with oil prices retreating to their lowest levels since late August as investors responded to his suggestion that the war was “effectively over.”
Brent crude, the global benchmark for oil, slid nearly 3% to $89.66 a barrel on Tuesday after dropping almost 6% the day before, according to The Guardian.
European equities also rose, with the Stoxx 600 index advancing 0.9%. Shares of airlines climbed on hopes that lower fuel costs would follow; meanwhile, BP and Shell saw their stock declines.
Meanwhile, Netanyahu’s security cabinet reportedly ordered the military to intensify preparations for a potential strike on Iran, Israeli media reported on Wednesday. The move came after opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot urged Netanyahu not to deploy forces “without a direct and immediate threat” as the country awaits the formation of a new government.
Netanyahu’s political future remains uncertain after October’s vote, which left his bloc without a parliamentary majority. President Isaac Herzog has since tasked Eisenkot with forming a new government, giving him 28 days to assemble a governing coalition.
The dispute over Iran is not the sole issue straining the relationship between the two leaders. According to Axios, Trump also pressed Netanyahu during a separate call on Thursday to advance his Gaza peace plan, which has stalled for months.
A source familiar with the discussion described the call as constructive. Rubio, Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, and special envoy Steve Witkoff also took part. Still, Washington is increasingly pressuring Netanyahu to cooperate with the plan’s next phase, which envisions disarming Hamas and transferring Gaza’s governance to a Palestinian technocratic administration.
“We want to move forward in a cooperative manner and require full cooperation and partnership from the Israeli government,” a U.S. official said.
