Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday rejected US President Donald Trump's claim that Israel follows his instructions, saying the statement was incorrect and that both leaders represent “independent and proud countries” that “stand for our interests”.Netanyahu said that suggestions that either leader acts on the instructions of the other are “not true”. (Reuters)In an interview on Friday, Trump said Israel “does as I say” when he was asked whether he could influence Israel and stop it from carrying out further strikes on Lebanon.Follow US-Iran war live updates here.‘They do as I say’: What Trump said on NetanyahuSpeaking to Axios, the US President was asked whether he had the ability to control Israeli military action in the region. He replied that he could."Yeah, I will be. I mean, they have a lot of respect for me, and they do as I say," he said.Trump also spoke about his relations with Netanyahu, saying their relationship was “good”, though he added that he had to “keep him a little bit sane.” He further claimed that Israel would “not exist” without his support.Netanyahu responds to Trump’s claimsResponding to the US President’s remarks, the Israeli leader said on Sunday that suggestions that either leader acts on the instructions of the other are “not true”.“In the United States, they say that President Trump does everything that I ask him to do. And in Israel, they say that I do everything he wants me to do. Well, neither is true,” he said while addressing the Jerusalem News Syndicate's (JNS) International Policy Summit 2026.He said both leaders act in line with the interests of their own nations and that, although they do not always agree on every issue, they respect each other's “sovereignty and leadership”.“We're leaders of independent and proud countries. We stand for our interests. I stand for the interests of Israel and for its security. And often we see eye to eye. Sometimes we don't. But we respect each other's sovereignty and leadership and commitment to our people,” he said.Israel’s relations with US strain over Iran deal, Vance issues warningIsrael and the US launched their joint war against Iran on February 28, but Trump later criticised Tel Aviv for continuing attacks on Lebanon, saying they risked sabotaging the agreement with Tehran that had been under discussion for a long period before being signed on Wednesday last week.US vice president JD Vance delivered a sharp message to Israeli figures who opposed the Iran deal, warning them against distancing themselves from their "only powerful ally" remaining in the world."What I will say, and this does bother me, is that you've seen people within Bibi's cabinet who have come out and attacked the deal, and in some ways very personally attacked the president of the United States," Vance told reporters during a briefing."If I was in the cabinet of the Israeli government, I might not be attacking the only powerful ally that I have anywhere left in the entire world."Amid the growing tensions, a poll carried out by the Hebrew University of Jerusalem together with the Agam Institute found that a large majority of Israelis believe Iran emerged stronger after the West Asia conflict and the subsequent agreement with the US, adding to the pressure on Netanyahu.With inputs from agencies