'Sometimes lovers have a spat': Israeli ambassador to US on Trump's Iran ultimatum to Netanyahu

The Israeli envoy said that although PM Benjamin Netanyahu had "decided" to "lower the temperature" of military operations against Iran at President Trump's request, the US president understands "full well" that Israel cannot "absorb ballistic missiles into our country without responding."

Iran and Israel have announced a halt in hostilities after exchanging strikes that raised fears of a renewed conflict in the Middle East. According to media reports, Israel ceased its attacks on Iran following a warning from US President Donald Trump to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that further military action against Tehran could jeopardise Washington’s support for the Jewish state.

However, Israel’s Ambassador to the United States, Yechiel Leiter, rejected reports suggesting that Washington had issued an ultimatum to Israel. He claimed that the conversations between both leaders were cooperative and accused section of journalists of promoting a misleading narrative about the exchanges.

"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 on the conversation can get a little heated," Leiter said while talking to Fox News. 

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The Israeli diplomat said that although Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had "decided" to "lower the temperature" of military operations against Iran at President Trump's request, the US president understands "full well" that Israel cannot "absorb ballistic missiles into our country without responding."

"For the most part, we're dealing with a very, very close collaborative effort between the United States and Israel, and there's tremendous understanding," he added.

Meanwhile, President Trump, who is reportedly becoming increasingly frustrated with Benjamin Netanyahu, earlier called on both Israel and Iran to stop “shooting” and said that “final negotiations” aimed at securing peace were moving forward, although they remained “subject to ignorance or stupidity getting in its way.”

However, the Israeli prime minister said in a televised address that he had told Trump that “Israel has a full right to self-defence, and we are exercising it as required.”

Citing an Israeli military official, CBS reported that Israel was ready to continue its operations for “as long as it takes” and had carried out strikes on newly reconstructed Iranian air defence systems, in addition to the petrochemical facility.

Iranian officials adopted a similarly firm stance. A military source cited by the semi-official Tasnim news agency said Tehran was prepared for a prolonged confrontation and retained the capability to resume attacks on US interests in the region. 

Meanwhile, Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf warned that the lack of trust between Iran, the United States and Israel could continue to fuel regional tensions and future escalations.

"We have disrupted the equation of a ceasefire on paper and its repeated violations in the field. As long as you lack the genuine will to build trust, Iran's response will be exactly this," he wrote in a post on X. 

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