Trump rebuked Netanyahu over Beirut strikes, then backed Hezbollah disarmament
What's new: Netanyahu played down the clash and said both leaders still agree on disarming Hezbollah to pursue Israel-Lebanon peace.
President Donald Trump said he sharply confronted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a June 1 call over Israel's threats to strike Beirut, saying he was upset by the continued fighting with Lebanon. In a June 3 interview with the New York Post, Trump confirmed he used expletives and pressed Netanyahu to stop. The dispute highlighted strains between the two allies as fighting widened across the region and risked derailing talks with Tehran. Netanyahu later minimized the clash in an interview with CNBC, saying he and Trump still shared the goal of disarming Hezbollah and demilitarizing Lebanon as a path toward peace between Israel and Lebanon.