Netanyahu Says Trump Urged Israel Not to Retaliate Against Iran

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told ministers on Monday night about a tense conversation he had with Donald Trump the night before, after Iran responded to an Israeli strike in Dahieh. According to Netanyahu, Trump asked, “Did they kill people for you?” Netanyahu said he replied, “They did not kill,” and made clear he would not accept a rule that Israel only responds when people are killed. “If they attack inside Israel, I respond and attack,” he told Trump.

Netanyahu also pushed back against criticism that Israel has become a U.S. client state. He told ministers, “We are not subordinate to the Americans, we are their allies,” adding that partners should act like partners and that Israel works with the United States, not against it. He said Trump badly wants a deal, but argued, “I told him I understand his desire very much, but I think there will be no agreement and we will not be the victim of this agreement.”

IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir said Israel could have struck Iran harder and is ready for a major, intense wave of attacks, with the stamina to sustain a prolonged campaign against Iran alone if needed. Still, he said Israel prefers to act with its partner and stressed that preserving the alliance is itself one of the goals. “We may yet have another joint campaign with Iran,” he said, calling the U.S. military relationship “unprecedented.”

Military intelligence chief Maj. Gen. Shlomi Binder said Hezbollah is now weaker than before, describing a reversal in which Iran is attacking to defend Hezbollah rather than the other way around. The head of AMAN’s research division said Iran’s retaliatory response against Israel was “limited” from the Iranian point of view. The comments were published at 00:00 on June 12, 2026.