Trump pressures Netanyahu over Lebanon, shares article suggesting Israeli PM's political future in his hands

US President Donald Trump shared on social media an article suggesting that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's political future rests in his hands — a move widely seen as pressure on Netanyahu to pull back as Israeli airstrikes on Lebanon have raised tensions around the US-Iran ceasefire process.

Trump shared the article on Truth Social on Friday. Published by the US online outlet Just the News, it carried the headline: "Netanyahu's shaky reelection chances — Trump holds the cards."

The article quoted Trump as telling an Israeli media outlet that he was "watching to see who runs in the Israeli election" and that while he had a good relationship with "Bibi" — Netanyahu's nickname — Netanyahu "needs to be more rational." The piece also noted that Trump said it was "most likely" he would back Netanyahu, but mentioned Netanyahu's rivals, former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and lawmaker Gadi Eisenkot, by name.

Trump's decision to share the article extends his recent public criticism of Israel's military operations. Israel bombed Lebanon, targeting the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah, while US-Iran ceasefire negotiations were in full swing — throwing cold water on the talks.

In response, Trump reportedly called Netanyahu earlier this month and, using profanity, demanded to know "what the hell are you doing," calling him "crazy" and "ungrateful."

Trump also reportedly told Netanyahu, "You would be in jail if it weren't for me" — an apparent reference to the political support Trump has provided Netanyahu, who is currently on trial on corruption charges.

Israel has continued its military strikes on Lebanon even after the United States and Iran signed a ceasefire memorandum of understanding. Iran has since escalated pressure on Washington, abruptly canceling its commitment to keep the Strait of Hormuz open — a key provision of the MOU — citing Israel's continued strikes on Lebanon.

The Wall Street Journal reported that relations between Trump and Netanyahu have deteriorated beyond repair as the White House seeks a diplomatic exit strategy to end the war with Iran.

Netanyahu appears to be facing the gravest political crisis of his tenure. Some observers say he could lose power in the general election scheduled for October. He has already been indicted in three separate criminal cases on corruption charges, and trials that had been suspended under wartime conditions resumed in April.

Both inside and outside Israel, suspicions are growing that Netanyahu is prolonging the war to shield himself from his corruption trials. In practice, he has used security crises as a tool to delay proceedings and contain his legal exposure. If he ends the war against Hezbollah, his coalition government is likely to collapse, stripping him of power and accelerating the legal process against him.

With follow-up negotiations on the US-Iran ceasefire deal on the horizon, Trump is stepping up pressure to keep Israel in check.