Trump Says Netanyahu ‘Doesn’t Call the Shots’ as Israel Strikes Iran Hours Later

US President Donald Trump declared on Sunday that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would ultimately have to accept any agreement Washington reaches with Iran, insisting that he—not the Israeli leader—controls the direction of diplomacy.

“He won’t have any choice. He doesn’t call the shots. I call the shots. I call all the shots,” Trump told the Financial Times in a telephone interview.

The remarks came just hours before Israel launched airstrikes on military targets in western and central Iran, dramatically escalating tensions between the two regional rivals and raising fresh concerns about a wider conflict in West Asia.

Trump Urged Israel Not to Retaliate

Trump’s comments followed a fresh round of hostilities in which Iran fired multiple ballistic missiles at Israel, describing the attack as retaliation for Israeli strikes in Lebanon.

According to Axios, Trump called Netanyahu after the missile barrage and urged him not to respond militarily, arguing that diplomacy should be given more time. Citing a senior US official and an Israeli source familiar with the conversation, the report said Trump had planned to discourage any retaliatory action.

The White House also denied claims that it had approved Israel’s earlier strike on Beirut’s southern suburbs. A senior US official told Axios there was no American “green light” for the operation.

Iran-Israel Exchange Intensifies

The Israeli military reported at least three waves of incoming missiles on Sunday and said its air defence systems intercepted all of them.

Iran’s military leadership condemned Israel’s Beirut strike, saying it had “crossed all red lines” and demanding an end to Israeli operations in Lebanon.

Meanwhile, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, who is also leading Iran’s negotiations with the United States, accused Washington of enabling the Beirut attack and warned that both US and Israeli assets could become “legitimate targets.”

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps described the missile barrage as a warning and said any future Israeli or American actions would trigger a broader response. The group reiterated that Iran would support a ceasefire only if it applied across all fronts.

Israel Launches Strikes Inside Iran

Early Monday, Israel responded with airstrikes targeting military sites in central and western Iran.

Iranian state media reported explosions in Tehran, Isfahan, Karaj and Tabriz, though authorities did not immediately provide details on the targets or damage.

A witness in Tehran told the Associated Press that at least one large explosion was heard west of the capital.

Following the strikes, Iran temporarily closed the airspace around Imam Khomeini International Airport, the country’s main international gateway.

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps later claimed that Israel had used air-launched ballistic missiles during the attack, though it offered no further details.

Confirming the operation, the Israeli military said: “A short while ago, the Israeli Air Force struck military targets belonging to the Iranian terror regime in western and central Iran.”

The latest exchange marks the most serious direct confrontation between Israel and Iran since the April ceasefire and threatens to derail ongoing diplomatic efforts between Washington and Tehran.