It is being widely reported that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump held a post midterm election phone call over the weekend related to the possibility of restarting a bombing campaign against Iran.
Axios had earlier reported on a prior Thursday phone call, but reports of a follow-up weekend call have been emerging chiefly in Israeli media, which described relations as tense.
Israel's Ynet claims the last call escalated into a "shouting match from hell" regarding military strategy toward Iran, at a moment Trump wants to give indirect negotiations more time - while Netanyahu reportedly wants more muscular and immediate action.
"Iran is working to renew the nuclear threat. The only way to permanently remove this existential threat is by toppling the ayatollah regime," Netanyahu, who is struggling for his political future after his party and coalition failed to capture a majrity in Knesset elections, told Israel’s parliament Tuesday, Ynet said.
Netanyahu's office is denying this characterization of a "shouting match" but it's also clear that the US and Israel have been conflicting over policy vision for what to do about Iran:
Netanyahu’s office strongly denied the confrontation to the outlet, dismissing the report as “fake news” and “complete nonsense.” A senior Israeli official acknowledged that the conversation took place, but insisted it was “very much not a difficult conversation.”
The reported dispute comes as the Israeli leader argues that Iran’s nuclear ambitions cannot be permanently eliminated without overthrowing its government.
Trump at the start of this week when asked by 60 Minutes about renewing direct military action stated: "Well, I’m not looking to. I don’t think there’s any reason to. I don’t think there’s any reason to."
Apparently Netanyahu is keeping up the pressure, with some reports saying he's trying to phone the White House on a daily basis.
But the White House has very clearly acknowledged at this point that Trump's launching of Operation Epic Fury and that fact that it has dragged on so long has proven deeply unpopular among American voters.
There have been moments where Trump has seemed to be frustrated with his Israeli ally, and just before last week's midterm elections even said he would seek to end the $4 billion in annual aid given to Israel.
This latest alleged heated call wasn't the first time such boiling-point disagreements have been reported between the two leaders...
Rubio too this week remarked that Israel is rich enough to buy its own weapons, without US taxpayers footing the bill. But for the majority of the American public this was too little, too late - and also many skeptics point out such a dramatic reversal is unlikely to ever come to fruition especially under a Republican administration.