Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and U.S. President Donald Trump held a weekend phone call that highlighted a deep split over how to handle Iran’s nuclear program. According to Ynet and Yedioth Ahronoth, Netanyahu pressured Trump to support the resumption of combat operations to topple the Iranian government, while Trump opposed a return to hostilities to avoid disrupting ongoing peace negotiations with Tehran.
Netanyahu has since characterized media reports that the conversation devolved into a “shouting match from hell” as “fake news.” Despite the denial, Israeli officials told Ynet the call was unusually heated, with Netanyahu warning that Israel would eventually face international pressure to accept a nuclear-armed Iran if the regime is not removed.
