Netanyahu and Trump Clash Over Israel's Beirut Strike Amidst US-Iran Deal

In the hours before the United States-Iran deal was announced, there was reportedly a chaotic interaction between the two men who started the war.

On Sunday morning, Benjamin Netanyahu posted a birthday message on social media to his closest political ally.

By Sunday afternoon, the recipient of his well wishes was tearing into him down a phone line from Washington.

As Donald Trump marked his 80th birthday, Israel's prime minister had given him a headache rather than a gift — albeit one which only seemed to delay the present he really wanted.

"What the f*** are you doing," the president asked Netanyahu about an Israeli strike on Beirut, according to Fox News.

"He has no f*****g judgement," he told Axios, speaking of the man he regularly calls "Bibi".

Israel attacked a claimed Hezbollah command centre in the southern suburbs of Beirut. That followed a number of drones launched by the Iranian-backed militant group crossing into Israel, just as Iran was considering the final wording of a ceasefire agreement.

Trump said Israel's attack was an overreaction, as Iran was publicly threatening retaliation and casting doubt on whether it could agree to a deal set against that backdrop.

Iran's deputy foreign minister said it held up negotiations, delaying a decision from the regime in Tehran until after midnight.

Israeli TV network Channel 12 reported the prime minister's team viewed Trump's admonishment as a "slap in the face".

The two men entered the war with Iran as partners, launching strikes against the regime more than 107 days ago.

But as the president tried to wrap it up, the pair were increasingly at odds about the next steps, and Netanyahu has learnt that the support of the United States isn't as unconditional as it may often be portrayed, particularly if it risks getting in the way of something Trump has his mind set on.

For the great survivor of Israeli politics, that may not be his primary concern.

Netanyahu is about to enter a messy and divisive election campaign, and fuelling ongoing instability across the Middle East could have been seen as helpful for him in the fight to keep his job.

Netanyahu's other priorities

Over the weekend, Israeli media had been reporting the rumblings within the Netanyahu government and the Israeli military establishment about the prospect of a peace deal between the US and Iran.

Netanyahu had been largely sidelined during the negotiations, learning about the progress of talks rather than being intimately involved in them.

The reports suggested there was deep frustration that the US was entertaining a deal, and a view that pursuing an agreement legitimised the tactics used by the Tehran regime during the war.

But of greatest concern was the fear a deal would lead to more interference from Washington in Lebanon — that it would keep Israel on an even tighter leash when it came to attacking claimed Hezbollah targets as the Iranian-backed militant group threatened northern Israeli communities.

The announcement from Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, issued after midnight Jerusalem time, confirmed the agreement included a total end to fighting and included Lebanon.

We've seen ceasefires in Lebanon in the past, which have slowed rather than totally ended the fighting. The specific details of how this one would work remain unclear.

The most recent ceasefire announcements have been between Israel and Lebanon and not included Hezbollah. This time, Israel finds itself impacted by a ceasefire that has been decided around it.

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Netanyahu's political opponents, and even those within his current coalition, have spent weeks demanding he go even harder against Hezbollah.

Naftali Bennett, the former Netanyahu aide who replaced him as premier in mid-2021, had been accusing the prime minister of failing to keep northern Israeli communities safe.

Bennett and former Israel Defense Forces (IDF) chief Gadi Eisenkot are both polling strongly, and both are taking Netanyahu to task over the war on Israel's northern front.

Avigdor Liberman, a former defence minister and prime ministerial aspirant, said Israel must destroy Iran's Kharg Island if Tehran attacked it over the Beirut strike.

Bezalel Smotrich, the far-right finance minister in the Netanyahu government, called for "determination and force" in demolishing parts of Dahiyeh, the Hezbollah stronghold suburb in southern Beirut.

He has previously demanded Israel seize control of large swathes of Lebanon.

Itamar Ben-Gvir, the far-right national security minister, said that for every drone fired at Israel, "Hezbollah must tremble."

Netanyahu-Trump alliance tested

Netanyahu will face an election before the end of October.

It will be the first real referendum on his leadership since the deadly Hamas attacks on October 7, 2023, which served as the catalyst for the Gaza war and hostage crisis.

Since then, conflict with Hezbollah has erupted twice. So too, war with Iran. All the while, there have been more brickbats than bouquets regarding the prime minister's decision-making.

For the duration of his latest term in office, Netanyahu has also been continuing his defence against corruption charges.

He has used his position to delay parts of the trial, often postponing hearings and testimony on security grounds.

There won't be a judgement in that case before the poll.

"I wish you continued strength and vigor as you lead America towards a bright future of peace through strength, and as we continue to bring the U.S. — Israel alliance to ever greater heights," Netanyahu posted in his birthday message to Trump.

It's an alliance being tested more frequently, as both men pursue their own agendas.