President Donald Trump on Sunday sent a message to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about Israeli strikes on Beirut to express his disapproval, after which he condemned Netanyahu for having “no f***ing judgement,” according to Channel 12’s and Axios’s Barak Ravid.
Trump had already posted about his unhappiness with Israel’s strikes on Beirut, which the Jewish state said were in response to Hezbollah launching strikes on northern Israel, saying the military action puts the U.S.-Iran peace deal at risk.
The president told Ravid he was “very unhappy” with Netanyahu’s action because it was unwarranted based on the outcome of Hezbollah’s strikes.
“Hezbollah fired and hit the middle of nowhere,” Trump told Ravid. “And then he had to do this f***ing attack — and in Beirut. It made me very angry.”
Trump then said Netanyahu showed “no f***ing judgement,” adding that he received news of the strikes shortly before a peace agreement with Iran was to be signed Sunday morning. The president said he “couldn’t believe this was happening.”
Signing a peace deal with Iran by the end of the day Sunday is paramount to Trump, as he has mentioned his birthday deadline several times. Iran, on the other hand, has offered a less expedited time frame as its negotiators review the proposed memorandum.
Israel’s strikes on Beirut, which it said targeted a Hezbollah command center, angered Iran, whose parliament speaker claimed the Israeli attack contradicts Washington’s commitment to peace.
The proposed agreement is less than ideal for Israel, which views the deal as silencing Israel. According to reporting by Axios, Netanyahu was seemingly caught off guard by Trump informing him that a deal with Iran was growing closer.
Trump’s harsh characterization of Netanyahu’s decision wouldn’t be the first time the president has lost patience with the prime minister over Israel’s actions in the region.
In early June, Trump lashed out at Netanyahu over Israeli strikes on Lebanon, which at the time fractured U.S.-Iran peace negotiations. At the time, Axios reported, citing U.S. officials, that Trump called Netanyahu “f***ing crazy,” in addition to other expletive-laced questions and exclamations to the Israeli official.
Trump still voiced optimism that a deal with Iran is imminent despite Israel’s action on Sunday.
TRUMP RIPS ISRAEL FOR STRIKING BEIRUT ON ‘SPECIAL DAY’: ‘SHOULD NOT HAVE HAPPENED’
Trump posed on Truth Social that a deal to “bring peace to the region” was forthcoming and that he asked Israel to hold fire.
“We are very close to a Deal that will bring peace to the region, including to Lebanon, and all sides should stand down,” he said. “There should be no more attacks by Israel anywhere in Lebanon, but there should also be no more attacks by any other party, including Hezbollah, against Israel. This could be the beginning of a long and beautiful peace — Let’s not blow it!”