How the Trump-Netanyahu rift deepened over Gaza, Lebanon and Iran

The public strain between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Donald Trump has sharpened as talks over a possible deal with Iran continue and tensions with Hezbollah remain high. According to the article, Trump and Vice President JD Vance are now openly criticizing Israel’s conduct, especially its military approach in Lebanon, even as Netanyahu insists the two leaders are fully coordinated.

New reporting in the book "Regime Change" by Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan says Trump told one adviser that Netanyahu is a "Con Man," one of the harshest labels in Trump’s vocabulary. The article says the relationship has long swung between political favors, military operations and insults, but this is the first time such a personal epithet has surfaced in print. Former Israeli consul in New York Assi Shariv said Israel and Netanyahu are viewed in Washington as having failed to deliver on big promises, adding that Trump likes strong leaders and that old tactics used on Democratic presidents will not work here.

The sharpest break point, the article says, came after the April 8 operation "Eternal Darkness" against Hezbollah, launched after the cease-fire with Iran. The strike killed many Hezbollah and Radwan Force operatives, but also produced disturbing images from Lebanon and reports that 300 civilians were killed. Days later, a church cross was reportedly removed in a village, prompting complaints from the Vatican over harm to civilians and specifically to Christians. The article notes that Netanyahu told Congress in 2024, "For Israel, every civilian death is a tragedy," a line the administration now reportedly views as empty rhetoric.

The piece argues that Qatar also matters because of its economic and diplomatic interests, including a giant shared gas field with Iran. It says Washington wants to avoid repeating the U.S. failures in Afghanistan and Iraq, and that Trump’s son and War Secretary Pete Hegseth have made clear the administration does not want another open-ended conflict. Analysts quoted in the article say Netanyahu should try to keep the dispute quiet, because attacking him helps Trump politically, while any personal fallout could be harder to reverse. The article ends by recalling past U.S.-Israel crises, including the breakdown under George W. Bush and Ariel Sharon after 9/11, suggesting such rifts can be repaired, but only when the strategic circumstances change.