In an interview with CNBC‘s Sara Eisen on Wednesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reassured that the U.S.-Israel relationship has never been better, and that he and U.S. President Donald Trump share the same aims vis à vis Iran.
The interview, which took place at the Prime Minister’s Office in Jerusalem, came the same day that Trump confirmed reports to The New York Post that he had called Netanyahu “f***ing crazy” during a Monday phone call over Israel’s continuing operations in Lebanon against the terror group Hezbollah.
Tehran has linked the fighting in Lebanon with ceasefire talks, demanding that Israel stop battling Hezbollah, an Islamic Republic proxy, as part of any deal. Iran’s insistence has led the U.S. administration to pressure Israel to cut back on its attacks.
Netanyahu dismissed the dustup, noting the two leaders have had “tactical disagreements” in the past, but have always found a way “to work them out.”
“This has been a great relationship, because he’s been the greatest friend that Israel has ever had in the White House. And he respects me. I respect him. We always find a way to work out our differences,” Netanyahu said. (Trump in his Post interview similarly said: “We’ve worked very well together. I like Bibi a lot. And I work very well with him.”)
Netanyahu told Eisen that Trump understands that Hezbollah has taken over Lebanon, holds its citizens “at gunpoint,” uses Lebanese territory as a springboard for missile attacks against Israel and that it must be disarmed.
“I know that this is a goal that the president and I share,” Netanyahu said.
The prime minister also said that Monday’s conversation, which had led to media speculation of a rift between Washington and Jerusalem, centered on the issue of whether Israel would target Beirut-based terrorist leaders who ordered attacks on Israeli cities. An understanding was reached that if those terrorists refrained from ordering the attacks, Israel would desist from targeting them. He could not say whether the agreement would hold.
“Ultimately, the change has to be to disarm Hezbollah,” he said. “You can’t have these genocidal terrorists taking over the poor country of Lebanon, using it to try to invade Israel the way that Hamas invaded us; murder our civilians; decapitate our men; rape our women. … No country would accept that.”
Netanyahu said that he and Trump agree on the key issues: that Iran must not possess nuclear weapons or ever be in a position to threaten Israel, the Middle East, America and the world.
The prime minister expressed support for the ongoing talks between the United States and Iran. He said that to ensure a successful deal, Iran’s enriched uranium must be taken out of the country and the uranium enrichment sites dismantled. “I think the president believes that he can get this through diplomatic pressure and tough negotiations, and I think he should be given a chance,” Netanyahu said.
The prime minister admitted that Iran still has leverage, successfully choking off the Strait of Hormuz, but that the Islamic regime has “never been weaker,” thanks to the blows inflicted upon it by the U.S.-Israel alliance. He referred to Trump’s “reverse blockade” as “a stroke of genius.”
Netanyahu described the recent Iranian drone strikes against Bahrain and Kuwait as part of a “tactical game.” He said Iran should heed Trump’s warning that he could return to full-scale military action if necessary.
“It’s the president’s decision. Israel is ready and the U.S. forces are ready. I think Iran should take that into account. I think they are taking it into account. But they’re playing with fire,” Netanyahu said.
Regime change could still come for Iran, Netanyahu said, adding that Iran’s government faces growing internal pressures, and fissures have started to appear that could eventually lead to its collapse. Comparing the situation to the unexpected fall of communist regimes in Eastern Europe, he said the timing of a political change in Iran is impossible to predict.
Israel’s conflict is with Iran’s rulers, not its people. Iranians seek freedom, democracy and better relations with the West, he said.
Remarking on Israel’s situation before and after the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas massacre, he said Israel’s southern communities near the Gaza Strip are flourishing; Hamas has been pushed back; the Iranian axis has been “shattered” and is a “shadow of its former self;” and investment has been pouring into Israel, which continues to be a startup dynamo.
“Our currency is the strongest it’s been in our history. The stock market is soaring. Our defense and other technological exports are going through the roof, and people are coming to invest,” Netanyahu said.
He concluded by calling for an end to U.S. military aid to Israel. “I want us to go from aid to a partnership where we both invest equal amounts and both share equally in the fruits of our innovators and technologists.”
