Tense Trump-Netanyahu conversation about Lebanon: How the US president shouted at the Israeli prime minister

US President Donald Trump has angrily confronted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over Israel's threats to resume airstrikes on Beirut's southern suburbs, according to a media report.

"What the hell are you doing?" the US president reportedly shouted at the Israeli prime minister during a phone call on Monday, according to Axios, an American website that often publishes reports on high-level conversations between the two leaders.

The report, which has been disputed by some Israeli media outlets, quotes a US official who summarized Trump's comments to Netanyahu.

"You're crazy. You'd be in jail if it weren't for me. I'm saving you. Now everyone hates you. Everyone hates Israel because of this," Axios reports Trump as saying during the conversation.

The call came after Netanyahu ordered the Israeli military to resume bombing the Dahiya area, south of Beirut, to hit Hezbollah, the Iran-backed militia that has carried out drone attacks on Israel.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) called on Lebanese civilians to evacuate areas of southern Beirut, prompting the displacement of thousands of residents.

Iran announced on Monday that it would suspend peace talks with the United States over the ongoing Israeli military campaign in southern Lebanon. Tehran insists that Lebanon must be included in the ceasefire agreement, which aims to facilitate negotiations on opening the Strait of Hormuz and lifting the US blockade of Iranian ports.

The phone call between Trump and Netanyahu came immediately after this announcement, which would in practice have suspended negotiations just days after Trump had declared that negotiators had reached a preliminary agreement, which he was considering whether to approve.

Channel 12, a prominent and independent news network in Israel, disputed the details of the report. Amit Segal, the network's chief political analyst, said Trump had not personally attacked him.

Netanyahu and that the two had reached an agreement under which Israel would refrain from attacking the suburbs of Beirut if Hezbollah stopped attacking Israel.

Trump and Netanyahu have had strained relations before, although Israel remains the US's main ally in the region. The two leaders collaborated in launching strikes against Iran in February, at Netanyahu's urging.

Last year, Trump publicly expressed his anger, saying that Iran and Israel "don't know what the hell they're doing" during a 12-day escalation that included airstrikes, missiles and drones.

Also, after Netanyahu congratulated Joe Biden on his victory in the 2020 presidential election, which Trump opposed, Trump said of Netanyahu: "Curse him."

Trump is facing pressure from different quarters within the Republican Party. Some pro-Israel allies want the US to further escalate its confrontation with Iran, while others want a quick end to the war to mitigate economic damage before the US midterm elections in November.

Netanyahu also faces political pressure at home. The Israeli parliament this week approved in first reading a bill to dissolve the Knesset and call early elections.

Meanwhile, his corruption trial is expected to continue after several repeated postponements, justified by the security situation in Israel.