US President Donald Trump gave a strong warning to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a tense phone call on Sunday. He told Netanyahu to act carefully or risk losing support from Washington. The conversation took place as new exchanges of strikes between Israel and Iran raised fears of a wider conflict in the region.
‘I said, ‘Bibi, you better be careful, or you will be on your own very soon,’ Trump told Axios in an interview. The warning came around 100 days into the conflict. Trump is continuing efforts to reach a diplomatic agreement with Iran while also trying to stop the fighting from getting worse.
Fresh Violence Sparks Concern
The latest escalation began when Israel carried out a strike on a Hezbollah-linked target in Beirut’s southern Dahiyeh suburb. According to Axios, the White House was not informed about the operation beforehand.
In response, Iran launched missile attacks towards Israel. It was Iran’s first such attack since a ceasefire in April. The exchange led to several rounds of strikes and counterstrikes. Israeli forces later targeted parts of Iran’s petrochemical infrastructure and locations in Tehran. Iran then responded by firing missiles towards Tel Aviv.
US Supports Defence Efforts
Although US forces were not involved in offensive military operations, American defence officials said they helped Israel intercept incoming Iranian missiles.Trump spoke with Netanyahu again on Sunday evening and urged him to avoid further military action. He argued that a nearly completed deal with Iran could make additional attacks unnecessary.
However, Netanyahu said that failing to respond to Iranian attacks would weaken Israel’s ability to deter future threats. The call ended without any clear Israeli promise to stop military action.
According to Trump, Iran later indicated that it was ready to halt further strikes. “They called us and said that they are not doing any more attacks and asked us to tell Israel not to do any more attacks,” Trump said.
By Monday, reports suggested that Israel was preparing a larger wave of strikes against sensitive sites in Iran. Trump spoke to Netanyahu once more. This time, Netanyahu agreed to cancel the planned operation if Iran did not carry out any further escalation.
Growing Differences Between Washington and Jerusalem
The events highlighted increasing differences between the US and Israel over how to handle the conflict. A US official told Axios that Netanyahu has domestic political reasons for continuing the war, while Trump is focused on bringing the conflict to an end.
First published on: Jun 09, 2026 07:18 AM IST
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