In an interview with Axios on June 8, Trump stated he told Netanyahu, "'Bibi, you better be careful. Otherwise, you’ll be alone very soon.'"
'Bibi' is a nickname for Netanyahu. Trump's warning came as Netanyahu's ongoing confrontations with Iran jeopardized U.S.-led peace negotiations.
Trump mentioned that he received calls from five Gulf nations urging Netanyahu to cease airstrikes, saying, "These countries were very worried. They really liked the agreement we were negotiating."
He also claimed that Iran contacted the U.S. to convey a message: "(We) will not attack anymore and please tell Israel not to attack (us)."
According to Axios, the tensions escalated after Israel conducted airstrikes on June 7 targeting the Iran-aligned militant group Hezbollah in Beirut, Lebanon. In retaliation, Iran launched missiles at Israel, and the exchanges continued until the morning of June 8.
As the situation threatened to escalate into full-scale war, Trump called Netanyahu to pressure him to halt the Iranian attacks. CNN reported that the two leaders spoke again just hours later.
Following Trump's warning, Netanyahu announced a halt to further airstrikes. In a video message, he stated, "Airstrikes on this front are currently on hold for the time being because the terrorist regime in Tehran has been hit and has stopped its attacks against us."
Axios reported that Israel had initially planned a large-scale airstrike targeting dozens of sensitive Iranian sites that day, which would have marked the largest attack against Iran since April.
However, Netanyahu cautioned, "If that terrorist regime makes another mistake and attacks us again, we will respond with overwhelming force," leaving the door open for potential retaliation against further Iranian aggression.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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