Called 'crazy', Netanyahu minimizes friction with Trump: 'Sometimes we have differences'

Trump admits to having had an angry argument with Netanyahu on the phone
The Prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, minimized the recent friction he had with the President of the United States, Donald Trump, in an interview with the broadcaster CNBC this Wednesday (3).
After Trump admitted to a podcast that he called the Israeli Prime Minister 'completely crazy' during a call over the weekend, the Israeli Prime Minister tried to warm up the situation.
"Trump and I We agree on the main points in relation to Iran. Sometimes we have tactical differences, but we resolve them", he said, justifying the intensification of the offensive against Hezbollah, an extremist group that operates in Lebanon: "Many of those who attack Israel are in Beirut".
Netanyahu also revealed that phone calls between him and Trump are taking place every two days and that the US president is "evaluating several options".
When asked about Iran, the Israeli did not rule out the resumption of direct conflicts, interrupted by the ceasefire mediated by Pakistan.
"The war in Iran is not over yet, but they are weakened. The US and Israeli Forces are ready to intervene in the country, if necessary. The opening of the Strait of Hormuz is militarily possible... Any large-scale return to military action will be Trump's decision", he defended, denying the statement given shortly earlier by Trump on Iranian nuclear material: "Iran has not agreed to give up its nuclear material, but the pressure is increasing."
A new round of negotiations with the aim of putting an end to the fighting between Israel and Hezbollah, which is supported by Iran, began this Tuesday (2). This Wednesday, the second and final day of meetings, the US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, said that he hopes that the "meeting will result in a joint declaration and a plan of action".
The first evidence about a disagreement between Trump and Netanyahu emerged after a report from the news website Axios, which stated that the US president called the Israeli prime minister "crazy" and said that Netanyahu was only not in prison thanks to the US - he has an international arrest warrant issued by the Hague Court.
When asked this Wednesday about the news, Trump confirmed that it was true, despite stating that he "gets along very well" with his ally:
"I was a little disturbed by his constant fights with Lebanon, you know?".
US President Donald Trump speaks to the press alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on December 29, 2025
REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst
The discussion between the two occurred after Israel intensified its attacks on Lebanon amid the ceasefire in force in the Middle East conflict.
Despite Trump asking Israel to no longer attack Lebanon, the Israeli leader did not comply with his main ally's determination, and Israeli forces carried out several bombings on Lebanese territory in recent days.
The offensive complicates negotiations between the US and Iran for an agreement to end the war in the Middle East. Pakistan, which mediates the negotiations, and Iran insist that Lebanon was included in the truce.
Tehran has stated that it will break the ceasefire if Israel continues bombing Lebanon, and, this Wednesday, countries in the Persian Gulf reported drone attacks carried out by Iran. In Kuwait, the country's main airport was hit. In Bahrain, air raid defense system sirens sounded again for the first time since the ceasefire signed on April 16 between the US and Iran.
Israel attacks southern Lebanon again

Source: G1