'Sometimes Lovers Have A Spat': Israeli Envoy Dismisses Rift Over Trump's 'Bibi, You'll Be On Your Own' Warning To Netanyahu

Iran and Israel have reportedly paused hostilities after exchanging a series of strikes that triggered fears of a wider Middle East war. The de-escalation came after US President Donald Trump’s warning to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that continued military action could jeopardise support from Washington.

Dismissing reports of a rift between the two leaders, Israel’s Ambassador to the US, Yechiel Leiter, on Tuesday downplayed Trump’s warning to Israel’s Netanyahu over Tehran strikes as a “lovers’ spat”.

Speaking to Fox News, he said, “They have a deep friendship that goes back some 40 years, and sometimes lovers have a spat, and sometimes the tension in the room and in the conversation can get a little heated,” Leiter said on Fox News.

Leiter accepted that the Israeli leader “decided” to “lower the temperature” on military action against Tehran at the request of Trump, but added that the US president understands “full well” Israel can’t “absorb ballistic missiles into our country without responding”.

According to Axios, Israel was reportedly preparing its largest wave of strikes on Iran since April, with dozens of sensitive targets reportedly slated for attack on Monday.

However, Trump called his ‘good friend’ Netanyahu and asked him to stop the strikes. He further warned Netanyahu that Israel will lose the support of the United States if it launches more strikes against Iran. “I said, ‘Bibi, you better be careful, or you will be on your own very soon,’” Trump told Axios.

The call between the two leaders involved disagreements but ultimately ended with Netanyahu agreeing to hold off on the planned strikes, provided Iran did not launch any attacks, News18 reported, citing Israeli sources.