Trump Rages at Netanyahu in Expletive-Filled Call Over Lebanon

Trump lost his temper. During a phone call brokered in the context of his efforts to mediate a ceasefire between Israel and Lebanese Hezbollah — talks he desperately needs to keep alive to protect the ongoing US-Iran nuclear negotiations — he unleashed a profanity-laced tirade at Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. He accused Netanyahu of ingratitude, ordered a halt to Israeli plans to strike Beirut, and warned that if Netanyahu pressed ahead, Washington would move to further isolate Israel on the international stage.

According to US media, Trump unloads on Netanyahu in expletive-filled phone call: accused him of ingratitude, and threatened to further isolate Israel on the international stage.

According to Axios, reporting on the afternoon of June 1 local time, two US officials and one source who knew about the call revealed what Trump told Netanyahu directly: "You're fucking crazy. You'd be in prison if it weren't for me. I'm saving your ass. Everybody hates you now. Everybody hates Israel because of this." Trump's reference to saving Netanyahu from prison alluded to the support he extended during the Israeli PM's ongoing corruption trial.

A second source familiar with the call added that Trump was "pissed". At one point, he shouted at Netanyahu: "What the fuck are you doing?"

An official described the call as the worst between Trump and Netanyahu since Trump returned to the White House.

One US official noted that Trump understood Hezbollah had been firing at Israel and that Israel had the right to defend itself. But in recent days, he felt Netanyahu had pushed the situation far beyond what was necessary. Beyond the threat to Beirut, Israel had also been expanding its ground operations in southern Lebanon.

Another US official said Trump was deeply concerned about the number of civilians Israel had killed in Lebanon. He objected to Israel demolishing entire buildings just to eliminate a single Hezbollah commander.

Trump and Netanyahu have had several tense calls in the past while still maintaining close coordination on Iran and other issues. But this one was different. One official described it as the worst call between the two since Trump returned to the White House. The fury stems from a clear strategic fear: Netanyahu's escalation in Lebanon risks derailing the US-Iran negotiations entirely. Iran had previously warned it would withdraw from talks with the United States if Israel continued its military operations in Lebanon.

After the call, Trump posted on his Truth Social platform, stating that the Iran negotiations were continuing "at a rapid pace", that Israel would not send forces into Beirut, and that Hezbollah had agreed to a ceasefire.

Netanyahu told a different story. In a statement issued after the call, he said he had told Trump that if Hezbollah did not stop attacking Israel, Israel would strike targets in Beirut. He added that military operations in southern Lebanon would continue, and emphasized: "This position of ours remain unchanged." Yet another US official contradicted that account entirely, claiming Trump had in fact "steamrolled" Netanyahu during the call. That official said: "Bibi (Netanyahu) said, 'OK, OK, just make sure everything is taken care of.'"

Earlier, Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz had issued a joint statement announcing that, given Hezbollah's "repeated and ongoing violations of the ceasefire," they had ordered the Israeli military to carry out airstrikes on the Dahiyeh district of Beirut. That announcement triggered a sharp reaction from Iran.

Israel escalates its bombardment of Lebanon.

Analysts have noted that the memorandum of understanding currently being negotiated between the US and Iran reportedly contains provisions for ending the conflict in Lebanon — a key source of the recurring friction between Trump and Netanyahu. The White House has not yet confirmed those claims.

The diplomatic fallout is widening fast. A source close to the negotiating team revealed that, in response to Israel's continued military operations in Lebanon and Gaza, the Iranian negotiating team has suspended its dialogue and text exchanges with the United States through intermediaries. Iran is now considering a full blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.

In Sidon, a port city in southern Lebanon, rescue workers carry an injured person out of a damaged apartment building struck by an Israeli airstrike.

On the afternoon of June 1 local time, the United Nations Security Council convened an emergency meeting on the Lebanon-Israel situation. Chinese Ambassador to the United Nations Fu Cong spoke at the session, stating that the situation had deteriorated sharply. Israel has expanded its military operations in Lebanon and continuously enlarged its so-called "security zone" — crossing the Litani River and occupying Beaufort Castle. This marks Israel's deepest military incursion into Lebanon in over two decades.

The Lebanon-Israel ceasefire has become a "ceasefire in name only." The international community must take urgent action before the situation slides into an even more dangerous abyss. He called on all parties to: immediately achieve a ceasefire and cessation of hostilities, and ease tensions; strengthen support for Lebanon to stabilize its domestic situation; and ensure that UNIFIL (United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon) can fulfill its mandate and safeguard regional stability.

Deep Throat

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A mysterious rumor circulates through Washington's political and business circles as we speak. The ace warship Donald Trump originally intended to use for a major assault on Iran's oil lifeline mysteriously disappeared midway through its journey for over a hundred days. This bizarre vanishing act has left even Pentagon insiders tight-lipped.

The drama began in March of this year. Trump repeatedly threatened to "completely obliterating" Kharg Island if Iran refused to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and sign a new agreement. This island serves as Iran's economic lifeline and handles about 90 percent of the country's crude oil exports. If captured by the US military, it would trigger an immediate financial collapse for the Iranian regime.

Kharg Island: Iran’s strategic crude oil export lifeline.

The US Navy responded on March 19 with a high-profile deployment of its most powerful island-capturing ace. The USS Boxer amphibious assault ship departed from the San Diego naval base in California with 2,500 fully armed Marines and sped toward the Middle East. Global media naturally speculated that a genuine amphibious landing was imminent.

This warship is no ordinary vessel. The USS Boxer measures over 250 meters in length with a displacement exceeding 40,000 tons, making it comparable to a light aircraft carrier. It can rapidly deploy M1A2 main battle tanks alongside heavy armored vehicles when fully loaded with 2,500 Marines. The ship also features a field hospital and an ocean-going command center.

It remains the only main surface combatant in the US military's beach landing system capable of executing heavy-duty island-capturing missions. Aircraft carriers merely drop bombs, while destroyers only fire shells. The entire US military relies on this single ship to actually deploy troops onto foreign shores and occupy territory. Iran had anticipated this move early on and stood in strict readiness for a direct confrontation with the USS Boxer.

The reality is far less intimidating. Sources close to the military recently leaked information revealing that the USS Boxer went completely silent after passing through the Strait of Malacca. The massive warship repeatedly delayed its appearance in the combat zone. Whispers within small circles suggested that the ship's core propulsion system was completely crippled.

USS Boxer: US military’s core island-capturing warship.

Its speed reportedly dropped below that of a common fishing boat. The catastrophic failure forced the vessel to undergo on-site repairs on an isolated island in the Indian Ocean. The ensuing delay stretched for over 100 days and rendered the original landing timetable completely obsolete.

The US military's only frontline ship capable of executing an island-capturing mission practically evaporated at the most critical moment. Trump's bold claim to destroy Kharg Island was likely doomed to fail from the very beginning.

The truth finally emerged on July 9. The American news website Newsmax published an exclusive report citing three officials that confirmed the USS Boxer did indeed experience a malfunction. A problem with the main circulation pump of the engine cooling system forced the ship to undergo repairs and await spare parts at the joint US-UK base in Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean.

The official version naturally avoided verifying the specific number of days rumored by the public. However, US officials themselves confirmed the malfunction, removing any doubt of unilateral speculation. The US has yet to provide a complete timeline detailing the exact delay or the true severity of the breakdown. Washington offered only a relatively downplayed explanation, keeping the exact truth closely guarded.

The Delay: Propulsion failure strands USS Boxer in June, delaying mission.

The ordeal of the USS Boxer is hardly an isolated incident. Higher-level official documents had already sounded the alarm well in advance. A 2024 report by the US Government Accountability Office explicitly pointed out that half of the 32 large amphibious ships currently active in the US military are in a state of poor readiness. Five out of the seven Wasp-class amphibious assault ships are actively experiencing issues.

General Eric Smith, Commandant of the US Marine Corps, previously admitted to Congress that the shortage of amphibious ships has reached a crisis level. He estimated it would take at least 10 years to resolve this systemic decline. The aging and low readiness rates of the US amphibious fleet are fully confirmed by the highest levels of the US military.

The Challenge: Complex maintenance heavily delays open-sea deployments.

The timing of these events is particularly intriguing. Trump suddenly acted out of character on June 11, right around the time the USS Boxer reportedly broke down. He announced the cancellation of a bombing operation against Iran scheduled for that very evening. He claimed that Iran's supreme leadership had approved the final terms of a new agreement, temporarily resolving the Strait of Hormuz crisis.

Less than three months passed between his bold claims to destroy Kharg Island and his hasty cancellation of military action. This pivot perfectly overlaps with the USS Boxer's maintenance cycle while stranded in the Indian Ocean. Trump likely knew he had no available forces left and resorted to diplomatic rhetoric to save face.

The key point is that an aging warship with over 30 years of service became the last straw for the US military's amphibious island-capturing capabilities. This fragile straw snapped at the most critical moment, suggesting the underlying truth is far more complex than the public narrative.

Washington remains eager to drop threatening rhetoric on social media to intimidate its adversaries. Yet, its actual execution capabilities fall dramatically short of even the most basic deployments. American hegemonic confidence is simply no longer what it used to be, a reality the Pentagon dares not answer directly.