November 12, 2026
Israeli media reports revealed unprecedented tension during the recent phone call that took place last weekend between US President Donald Trump and outgoing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. According to what was published by the Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper and the Ynet website, the discussion about the future of the war on Iran turned into a sharp verbal confrontation that insiders described as a “screaming argument from hell,” in light of deep differences between the two sides.
The dispute centered around Netanyahu’s insistence on resuming military operations against Tehran and pressuring Trump to return to comprehensive confrontation, leading to changing the Iranian regime, while the US President insisted on giving the diplomatic track an additional opportunity, preferring to continue economic pressure and keep negotiation channels open instead of rushing to the military option.
On the other hand, Netanyahu’s office quickly denied this story, describing the circulating reports as “fake news.” A high-ranking Israeli official confirmed that the phone call had taken place but denied that any confrontation or altercation had taken place between the two parties.
This discrepancy is not the first of its kind; Previous contacts between the two leaders had previously witnessed similar disagreements, most notably what Trump revealed to the New York Post about his description of Netanyahu as “truly crazy.” This comes days after a report by the Financial Times that Netanyahu is in daily contact with Trump to urge him to escalate, coinciding with political pressure Netanyahu is facing after his party lost seats in the Israeli general elections that took place last October.
In a related context, Netanyahu renewed his position on Tuesday before the Israeli Knesset, stressing that overthrowing the Iranian regime is the only way to end the nuclear threat once and for all. On the other hand, Trump confirmed in an interview with “60 Minutes” broadcast on Sunday that he sees no reason to resume the war at the present time.
These disagreements coincide with the continuing tension in the Strait of Hormuz, reports of Iran targeting ships trying to cross the strategic passage, and the escalation of naval attacks, which keeps the gap in positions wide between Netanyahu’s military insistence and Trump’s diplomatic desire, amid ongoing conflict between media leaks and official denials.
