President Donald Trump erupted at Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday after Israeli forces struck Beirut just hours before the United States and Iran were set to sign a deal to end their war. In a phone call with Axios, Trump said he told Netanyahu directly: 'Why did Bibi have to do a f***ing attack? I was so pissed off. I let him know. He has no f***ing judgement. I let him know that.'
Trump told Axios he was stunned when his advisers briefed him on the strike, adding: 'It is so bad — I couldn't believe it. An hour before we are supposed to sign the deal.'
JUST IN - President Trump told Axios: "Why did Bibi have to do a fucking attack? I was so pissed off. I let him know. He has no fucking judgement. I let him know that"
— Insider Paper (@TheInsiderPaper) June 14, 2026
A Strike That Shook the Talks
The Israeli military notified the US Central Command shortly before the Beirut strike, Israeli and US officials said. The Israel Defence Forces said it conducted the strike on the Lebanese capital, targeting what it called Hezbollah 'infrastructure' in the southern Dahiyeh area. In a statement, Netanyahu said the strike was 'in response to Hezbollah's firing into Israeli territory.'
Trump acknowledged that Hezbollah had struck first but argued it made no practical difference given the circumstances. 'It shook it up,' he said. 'It delayed the signing by a few hours. It was supposed to be now. Now it is scheduled for a few hours from now.'
Lebanese authorities confirmed at least three people were killed and seven others wounded in the Dahiyeh area. An Associated Press photographer at the scene described the building struck as a five-storey apartment complex with shops on the ground floor, with the two lower floors suffering the most significant damage. Residents of the southern suburbs, many of whom had recently returned home after a period of relative calm, were seen fleeing the area.
Iran's Response and the Deal's Fate
The escalation landed hours before the US and Iran were supposed to sign a deal to end their war, and Iranian officials signalled that Israel's attack could scuttle the agreement. According to regional and US officials, a similar strike the previous week had led to Iran launching missiles at Israel and a day of serious escalation between the two countries.
Ebrahim Azizi, chair of the Iranian parliament's national security committee, posted on X that 'a strong response is coming.' Despite the threat, Trump maintained the deal remained on track and insisted it would be in Israel's long-term interest. He said the agreement would prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon, require the disposal of nuclear material, and permit snap inspections of Iranian nuclear facilities.
Trump also stated that the IDF should not carry out any more attacks on any part of Lebanon going forward.
A Pattern of Private Fury
Sunday's confrontation is not the first time Trump has privately vented at Netanyahu. An administration official familiar with the ongoing peace negotiations said: 'Everyone — and I mean everyone — is exasperated with Bibi.'
The timing of Israel's strike on Beirut could scarcely have been more consequential. A US-Iran agreement to end a war that began in February 2026 represents one of the most significant diplomatic undertakings of Trump's second term. The fact that an Israeli military action nearly derailed it — and triggered an unfiltered presidential rebuke — signals that the relationship between Washington and Tel Aviv is under unprecedented strain, even as the two nations remain formal allies.
