According to a report by Axios, citing US officials and sources familiar with the discussion, Trump sharply criticised Netanyahu during a heated phone call on Monday, accusing him of escalating tensions and damaging Israel’s international standing.
The reported exchange came after Iran warned that the ceasefire between Tehran and Washington applied to all fronts, including Lebanon, and cautioned that continued Israeli military operations could jeopardise diplomatic efforts with the United States.
Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi said the ceasefire covered all theatres of conflict and warned that any violation on one front would be considered a violation of the agreement as a whole.
In a post on his social media platform, Truth Social, Trump later described his conversation with Netanyahu as “very productive” and claimed there would be no Israeli troops advancing toward Beirut.
“Any troops that are on their way have already been turned back,” Trump wrote.
The US president also claimed that Hezbollah had agreed, through intermediaries, to halt attacks on Israel, while Israel had agreed to stop firing in return.
However, no US administration has publicly acknowledged direct communication with Hezbollah, which remains designated as a terrorist organisation by the United States.
A Lebanese official told media outlets that Hezbollah had conveyed through Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri its willingness to halt attacks on northern Israel if Beirut and its suburbs were spared from Israeli strikes.
According to Axios, Trump acknowledged Israel’s right to defend itself but believed the Israeli response in Lebanon had become disproportionate.
US officials quoted in the report said Trump warned Netanyahu that continued attacks on Beirut would further isolate Israel internationally.
Sources also claimed Trump reminded Netanyahu of his political support during the Israeli leader’s corruption trial and accused him of making Israel’s diplomatic position more difficult.
Another US official reportedly said Trump was concerned by civilian casualties in Lebanon and objected to large-scale military actions targeting individual Hezbollah commanders.
Following the call, an Israeli official told Axios that Israel had no immediate plans to launch strikes on Hezbollah targets in Beirut.
Netanyahu, however, maintained a firm stance and said Israel’s policy had not changed.
In a post on X, he said that if Hezbollah continued attacking Israeli cities and civilians, Israel would strike targets in Beirut. He added that military operations in southern Lebanon would continue as planned.
One US official described the conversation as Trump having “steamrolled” Netanyahu during the call, with the Israeli premier eventually responding by urging that the situation be managed appropriately.
Meanwhile, Trump said negotiations with Iran were continuing rapidly.
However, Iran’s Tasnim News Agency reported that Tehran had suspended discussions with mediators in protest against Israel’s expanding military campaign in Lebanon.
Iranian state television also carried a warning from the Revolutionary Guards’ intelligence division, stating that crossing “red lines” in Lebanon and Gaza could lead to direct conflict.
Tasnim further reported that Iran intended to maintain restrictions in the Strait of Hormuz and could coordinate with allies to increase pressure in other strategic waterways, including the Bab al-Mandab Strait.
Earlier on Monday, Trump told CNBC that he was not concerned if talks with Iran collapsed, describing the negotiations as increasingly “boring”.
The conflict in Lebanon has become the largest regional spillover from the broader Iran-related crisis. Since March, Israeli strikes and evacuation orders have displaced more than 1.2 million people in Lebanon after Hezbollah launched attacks against Israel in support of Iran.
Israeli forces recently captured the historic Beaufort Castle and nearby strategic positions in southern Lebanon following intensified clashes with Hezbollah.
According to Axios, the framework currently being discussed between the United States and Iran includes provisions aimed at ending hostilities in Lebanon, a subject that has repeatedly created friction between Trump and Netanyahu during recent diplomatic exchanges.
