Netanyahu denies rift with Trump after US president confirms criticism

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has denied reports of a rift with US President Donald Trump after Trump confirmed in an interview with the New York Post that he had voiced sharp criticism of the Israeli leader over the conflict in Lebanon. In an interview with CNBC on Wednesday, Netanyahu said: “No, it has always been a great relationship because he is the greatest friend Israel has ever had in the White House.”

The Israeli prime minister, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) on charges of war crimes in Gaza, stressed that the two leaders respect each other. “We have common goals. Sometimes, like in the best families, we have tactical disagreements… We always find a way to resolve them and act as great friends. We can disagree in the morning, but by the afternoon we are acting together,” he said.

Trump told the New York Post that during a phone call early this week, he was “a little upset because he keeps fighting in Lebanon.” The US president said he spoke with both Netanyahu and a representative from Hezbollah, and the two sides agreed to a ceasefire. However, fighting in southern Lebanon continues, with Israel displacing hundreds of thousands of people and leveling many towns. Still, the Israeli military has paused its strikes on Beirut.

Despite the clear disagreement over Lebanon, Trump praised the Israeli prime minister: “I like Bibi very much, he worked very well with me.” For his part, Netanyahu insisted he and Trump share the same view on Lebanon, particularly the goal of disarming Hezbollah. “I think he understands that Lebanon has been taken hostage by Hezbollah. If we want to save Lebanon and achieve a Lebanese-Israeli peace as I desire, we must disarm Hezbollah and demilitarize Lebanon,” he said.

Israel's attacks in Lebanon, including its declared bombing of the capital Beirut, risk undermining US-Iran negotiations. Tehran has hinted at a possible military response. The regional conflict escalated after Israel and the US struck Iran on February 28, spreading the fighting into Lebanon. Hezbollah has fired rockets into Israel in retaliation for daily ceasefire violations and the assassination of Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. Many Israeli politicians have publicly called for occupying southern Lebanon and building settlements, with Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz acknowledging a policy of destroying homes along the model used in Rafah and Beit Hanoon in Gaza. Since April, Lebanese and Israeli officials have held multiple rounds of talks in the US, but have not reached a ceasefire or halted Israel's systematic destruction of Lebanese towns.