In a recent phone call, former President Donald Trump allegedly described Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as “f***ing crazy” just before announcing a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah.

Trump took to his platform, Truth Social, to reveal that Netanyahu had decided to “turn his troops around” instead of launching a significant military operation in Lebanon on Monday.

He further stated that both the Israeli military and Hezbollah-affiliated militia groups had agreed to cease hostilities.

While optimistic, Trump expressed a cautious hopefulness, saying, “Let’s see how long that lasts — Hopefully it will be for ETERNITY!”

The announcement followed what was reportedly a tense conversation between Trump and Netanyahu concerning the rising tensions between Tel Aviv and Hezbollah in Lebanon.

A source told Axios that at one point, Trump bluntly asked Netanyahu: ‘What the f*** are you doing?’ 

Trump eventually went off on the prime minister, directly stating that Netanyahu would be jailed without him. 

‘You’re f***ing crazy. You’d be in prison if it weren’t for me. I’m saving your ass. Everybody hates you now. Everybody hates Israel because of this,’ he reportedly said. 

Two sources told the outlet that Trump accused Netanyahu of being ungrateful to him and that making good on threats to bomb Beirut would make things worse for Israel. 

Donald Trump called Benjamin Netanyahu ‘f***ing crazy’ on a call just before Trump announced a halt to fighting between Israel and Hezbollah

Two sources said Trump accused Netanyahu (pictured) of being ungrateful to him and that making good on threats to bomb Beirut would make things worse for Israel

The sources hinted that Trump’s rage was driven by a belief that Israel’s actions were making it harder to forge a peace deal with Iran. 

Netanyahu later appeared to cast doubt on Trump’s claim of a ceasefire, saying that his country would strike Beirut if Hezbollah doesn’t stop attacking Israel.

‘I spoke this evening with President Trump and told him that if Hezbollah does not cease attacking our towns and our citizens, Israel will strike terrorist targets in Beirut,’ Netanyahu said, according to a statement released by his office.

The Daily Mail has reached out to both the White House and Prime Minister Netanyahu for further comment.

Iran’s top negotiators on Monday stopped exchanging messages with the US through Pakistani intermediaries as Tehran vowed to fully shut down the Strait of Hormuz, according to the Iranian state-affiliated news outlet Tasnim.

The report claims Iran cut off communication because it believes one of the preconditions for the ceasefire was a halt to the IDF’s continued attacks on its Hezbollah allies in Lebanon.

The regime says ‘No dialogue will take place’ until Israel fully withdraws from Lebanon and also stops attacks in Gaza, according to Tasnim.

‘Also, the resistance front and Iran have resolved to completely block the Strait of Hormuz and activate other fronts including the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, in order to punish the Zionists and their supporters,’ a regime official told state media. 

Before the statement, the pair reportedly had it out in a phone call regarding escalating tensions between Tel Aviv and Hezbollah

The Trump administration has spent recent weeks trying to quell the fighting by brokering a temporary ceasefire between Netanyahu’s government and Lebanon, but those efforts have not succeeded.

Earlier on Monday, the US leader had given decidedly mixed signals about his enthusiasm for the talks to end the Iran war, which the United States and Israel launched on February 28.

Trump told US broadcaster CNBC in a telephone interview shortly before his Truth Social posts that ‘I don’t care’ if the Iran talks collapsed.

‘Frankly, I thought they started to get very boring,’ Trump told CNBC.

Trump separately told NBC News on Monday that he had not been informed that Iran was suspending negotiations but that, ‘I think we’ve been talking too much if you want to know the truth.’

‘I think going silent would be very good, and that could be that could be for a long time,’ he told NBC.

Trump later claimed that ‘talks are continuing, at a rapid pace, with the Islamic Republic of Iran.’ 

Israel remains hesitant to include Lebanon in the ongoing ceasefire with Tehran, viewing that conflict as separate from the broader war.

The US has tried to mediate between Israel and Lebanon over the past few weeks, pushing for a temporary ceasefire while Trump negotiates a long-term peace agreement with Tehran.

Israeli forces over the weekend captured a strategic site in Lebanon, marking their deepest military incursion into the country in over 26 years.

Israel captured Beaufort Castle, a medieval fortress in southern Lebanon that it had held until its withdrawal from the country in 2000.

The United States and Israel launched a joint offensive against Iran on February 28. 

A former police officer from North Carolina, dismissed over the weekend, surrendered to authorities on Monday to confront charges related to an excessive force investigation. This follows the emergence of video evidence depicting him repeatedly striking a woman during an arrest, according to officials.

Footage captured by a doorbell camera on Friday allegedly shows the officer, identified as Hyder, delivering multiple punches to 34-year-old Cherrie Moore’s face while attempting to subdue her. The video also reveals a second officer stepping in at one point. The events leading up to the start of the recording remain unclear.

Shelby Police Chief Brad Fraser explained in a video statement on Friday that the officers were engaged in a criminal investigation when they encountered a woman behaving suspiciously in the vicinity. According to Moore’s arrest warrant, she is accused of fleeing when Hyder attempted to detain her for suspected breaking or entering.

The video footage eventually shows Moore being handcuffed, during which she is heard requesting the officers to contact her father and discussing her own mental health, mentioning that she was not on her medication.

The incident prompted immediate protests within the community, leading to Hyder’s termination the following day. Additionally, the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation has launched a probe into the alleged assault.

“The actions taken by one of our officers during that encounter are disturbing and inappropriate,” Fraser said Friday.

Moore was initially facing charges of breaking or entering, resisting a public officer and assault of a government official or employee, but the latter two charges have since been dismissed. She is due in court on Friday. 

Ronald Haynes, her attorney, wrote in an email to The AP that Moore “is recovering and receiving treatment for her mental health.” 

Moore’s father, Gregory Moore, said the officer used excessive force and that his daughter suffered several injuries to her face. The arrest warrant for Hyder states Cherrie Moore suffered a “possible broken nose and busted lip.”

“He took his anger out on my daughter. My innocent daughter,” Gregory Moore said.

Gregory Moore said Cherrie Moore has bipolar schizophrenia and is under treatment while out on bond.

Court records show Cherrie Moore and Hyder had interacted before Friday’s incident, with Moore being arrested by Hyder and charged with breaking or entering and resisting a public officer in August 2025. She pleaded guilty to resisting and was sentenced to time served after spending 15 days in custody. The charge for breaking or entering was dismissed.  

“It’s going to be a long journey for her because she’s really, really upset. Shaken,” Gregory Moore said. 

As the warm weather rolls in, homeowners across regions like the Northeast, Upper Midwest, Middle Atlantic, Ohio River Valley, and even parts of the South should brace themselves for a particularly active tick season.

These tiny pests are more than just an annoyance; they are increasingly sending people to the emergency room. Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Bite Tracker reveals a startling rise, with 71 out of every 100,000 emergency room visits in April 2026 being tick-related. This figure is more than twice the historical norm.

While factors like weather conditions, human activity, and wildlife patterns contribute to the uptick in tick populations and associated health risks, there are measures homeowners can take to safeguard their families and pets.

Hamilton Allen, an entomologist and vice president of technical and safety at Fox Pest Control in Tampa, FL, advises, “To create an effective tick-free zone, consider using year-round tick-preventative medications, clearing leaf litter around your property, laying down wood chips and mulch near the boundary between your yard and the forest, and keeping your lawn mowed.”

Why these locations are seeing an uptick

The MyWild 2026 Tick Forecast indicates that tick populations are booming in states such as Ohio, Maryland, Virginia, and West Virginia, along with Kentucky and Tennessee. This expansion underscores how ticks are migrating beyond their traditional strongholds in the Northeast and Upper Midwest to make their presence felt in the Southern regions as well.

The main culprit? The weather conditions this past winter. 

Theresa Smith, senior vice president of NaturaLawn of America in Frederick, MD, explains that in areas that were a bit colder than usual, snow that took months to melt helped insulate ticks from the extremely cold air.

“Snow keeps the temperature of the ground beneath it more stable, so even while air temperatures continue to drop, the ground underneath it stays warmer. Since much of the Northeast and mid-Atlantic experienced that long-lasting snowpack or ‘snowcrete’ coverage, this effect was especially pronounced,” Smith explains.

In the South, where the winter months brought above-average temperatures, more ticks were able to survive and reproduce.

“The warmth gave ticks the ideal conditions for breeding,” Smith explains.

The warmer winter weather also allowed ticks to expand their habitats, meaning areas where ticks have not historically been an issue will begin seeing more of these disease-carrying pests.

Nicole Carpenter, pest control professional and president at Black Pest Prevention in Charlotte, NC, points out that the ticks don’t need to travel far to grow.

“The increase in tick populations is also about people spending more time and building homes in places where ticks are already active. Wildlife like deer and other animals that move through neighborhoods more often now can bring new ticks,” Carpenter explains.

How to mitigate ticks around your home

Ticks are harmful to humans and animals alike. 

“Deer ticks can transmit Lyme disease by climbing on a blade of grass and waiting for an animal or human to brush by. Other ticks, like the lone star ticks, can transmit ehrlichiosis and other serious infections,” says Dr. Linden Hu, infectious disease specialist and professor of immunology at Tufts University in Boston.

They can lead to fever, rashes, fatigue, and other flu-like systems that often warrant a trip to an emergency room. The good news is you can reduce their presence to keep your family and pets safe. Here are several expert tips:

Maintain your yard

Ticks love poorly maintained yards.

“Tall grass, poorly ventilated yards, and yards with a lot of shaded spots are most attractive to ticks,” says Carpenter. 

If you want to keep them away, keep your yard in optimal shape. Mow your lawn, and trim trees and shrubs that may create a lot of shade.

Choose the right ground cover

Avoid mulch, leaf piles, or dense ground cover.

“Choose gravel, wood chips, or stone barriers instead, because dry, open materials make it harder for ticks to stay sheltered and humid,” Carpenter explains. 

Use a cedar spray

If your goal is to prevent ticks from sticking around, then a cedar oil spray can do wonders. It has a strong scent that ticks don’t like. 

Carpenter recommends you spray shaded corners, yard edges, fence lines, and areas where neighboring pets or wildlife can pass through.

Plant tick-repellant plants

“Lavender, rosemary, and marigolds can be planted near where your family or pets spend the most time,” says Smith.

It’s also a good idea to plant these around the edge of your home.

Add fencing

Properties without fences are more prone to ticks because deer, rodents, or stray cats and dogs can move through the yard and bring ticks with them. 

If you don’t have a fence, installing one might be worthwhile. 

“Fencing solves part of the problem because it simply limits the amount of host animals that can pass through and drop ticks around the yard,” adds Carpenter.