Trump warned Netanyahu he would be 'left alone' if he didn't back down

Donald Trump warned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that he would be "left alone" if he was not careful, as Netanyahu prepared a large-scale strike on Iran, Axios reported Sunday.

According to Axios, Trump grew frustrated after Israel struck Beirut, the Lebanese capital, on Saturday, targeting Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah, fearing the attack would jeopardize a ceasefire agreement.

Iran retaliated by firing missiles at Israel, as it had threatened to do. As the situation deteriorated, Trump called Netanyahu on Saturday evening and demanded he halt strikes on Iran.

That call was described as far calmer than one that had taken place on June 1. During the earlier call, Trump was said to have berated Netanyahu and expressed his anger.

The Saturday call ended without Netanyahu giving a clear answer. The US side expected Netanyahu to stand down, but Netanyahu reportedly interpreted Trump's position as opposition rather than a firm prohibition.

The situation did not calm down, however. The exchange of fire between Israel and Iran continued into Sunday morning, pushing the ceasefire to the brink of collapse.

Trump called Netanyahu again and pressed him once more to stop striking Iran. CNN reported the second call came just hours after the first.

In an interview with Axios, Trump said he told Netanyahu: "Bibi, you better be careful, because you're going to be left alone very soon." "Bibi" is a nickname for Netanyahu. The warning was a strongly worded signal that US support could be withdrawn if Netanyahu continued exchanging fire with Iran and undermined the ceasefire negotiations.

Trump said he received calls from five Gulf states urging him to press Netanyahu to halt the strikes. "These countries were very concerned. They love the deal we've been negotiating," he said. He added that Iran had also reached out to the US with a message saying it would carry out no further attacks and asking that Israel be told to stop striking Iran as well.

Trump also claimed in the interview that the deal would prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons and halt uranium enrichment. "It's a tremendous deal and we got everything we wanted," he said.

Netanyahu ultimately halted the strikes on Iran after receiving Trump's stern warning. Citing Israeli officials, Axios reported that Israel had originally planned to strike dozens of sensitive targets in Iran that day, in what would have been its largest assault since April.

Trump has been pushing for a swift end-of-war agreement with Iran, while Netanyahu has been reluctant to halt the fighting under the current circumstances.