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.

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Blue Origin, the space company owned by Jeff Bezos, suffered a violent explosion during a "hot-fire test" of its New Glenn rocket on the evening of 28 May. The blast severely damaged both the rocket and the launch facility. Blue Origin is one of NASA's partners in its lunar program, and the incident threatens to further delay America's return to the Moon — handing China a strategic advantage in the space race.

Blue Origin rocket test ends in massive explosion. AP Photo

Enormous Blast Devastates Rocket and Launch Pad

The explosion tore through Kennedy Space Center in Florida on the evening of the 28th, as Blue Origin was conducting a routine pre-launch hot-fire test of the New Glenn rocket. The rocket detonated in a massive fireball. Local residents reported seeing the blaze from considerable distance, with the blast heard some 24 kilometers away — the scene likened to a "mini nuclear bomb."  

Kennedy Space Center, Florida. AP Photo

The New Glenn rocket had previously completed three successful flights and was scheduled for its fourth mission next month. The explosion appears to have completely destroyed the rocket. Blue Origin's launch facility — which cost $1 billion to build — will likely require extensive repairs. The company is currently investigating the cause of the accident but has yet to clarify the specific impact on its rocket program.

Aerospace analysts believe the explosion will set Blue Origin's development timeline back by at least a year. Space journalist Eric Berger put it bluntly: "This completely takes Blue Origin out of the Artemis picture for the next 12 months, most likely. All of those Moon Base missions, man, it’s bad."

NASA's Moon Program May Become Entirely Reliant on SpaceX

With Blue Origin's rocket program suffering a catastrophic blow, NASA's Artemis lunar program may now become wholly dependent on SpaceX's Starship. The reality is that Starship itself remains far from fully validated, with development facing enormous challenges of its own.

Just last week, Starship's Super Heavy booster malfunctioned and tumbled into the Gulf of Mexico during a test flight. The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) ordered SpaceX on the 27th to investigate the cause. SpaceX must now suspend all subsequent Starship test flights pending approval of the investigation's findings. Both of NASA's primary Artemis partners have their rocket programs on hold simultaneously.

The New Glenn rocket stands 98 meters tall and features a reusable first stage, designed to compete with SpaceX's Falcon family of rockets and Starship. It is a key component of NASA's Artemis architecture. Just two days before the accident — on 26 May — NASA had awarded Blue Origin a $188 million contract to carry out the "Lunar Base 1" mission, delivering the company's lunar lander to the Moon's surface.

Former Administrator Warned: America Highly Likely to Fall Behind China

Repeated setbacks in the development of rockets and lunar landers have pushed America's crewed Moon landing mission back time and again. The latest timeline now stands at 2028.

In September last year, Jim Bridenstine — who served as NASA Administrator from 2018 to 2021 — issued a stark warning before a US Senate hearing. "Unless something changes, it is highly unlikely the United States will beat China’s projected timeline to the Moon’s surface. Our complicated architecture requires a dozen or more launches in a short time frame, relies on very challenging technologies that have yet to be developed like cryogenic in-space refueling, and still needs to be human rated."

Current NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman acknowledged that the New Glenn explosion could affect the Artemis program but stressed that a detailed review would be needed. "Spaceflight is unforgiving, and developing new heavy-lift launch capability is extraordinarily difficult," he said. "We will work with our partners to support a thorough investigation of this anomaly, assess near-term mission impacts, and get back to launching rockets."

Meanwhile, China's Crewed Lunar Program Advances on Schedule

On 24 May, the Shenzhou-23 crewed spacecraft launched successfully. The spacecraft and space station combination completed their rendezvous and docking. The astronaut crew — which includes Hong Kong's first payload specialist, Lai Ka-ying — successfully entered the Tiangong space station, completing the 8th "space rendezvous" in Chinese spaceflight history.

Shenzhou-23 crewed spacecraft launches successfully. Screenshot from CCTV

On the evening of 29 May, the Shenzhou-21 astronaut crew successfully landed aboard the Shenzhou-22 crewed spacecraft at the Dongfeng landing site, marking a safe return. The three astronauts had entered China's space station on 1 November 2025 and spent 210 days in orbit. Their mission sets a new Chinese record for the longest single-crew stay aboard the station.

Shenzhou-23 astronaut crew successfully enters Tiangong. Screenshot from CCTV

Shenzhou-21 astronaut crew makes a safe return. Screenshot from CCTV

China plans to carry out a crewed lunar landing before 2030 and is making steady progress with no signs of any delay.