U.S. President Donald Trump has urged Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to curb military escalation in the region, including in Lebanon, according to a report by The Wall Street Journal that points to growing strains in the relationship between the two longtime allies.

Citing people familiar with the matter, the newspaper reported that Trump recently told Netanyahu during a phone conversation to "stop blowing up buildings" while discussing developments in Lebanon. The report said exchanges between the two leaders have become increasingly tense compared with previous years, despite their close political ties.

According to the Journal, Trump has privately voiced frustration with Netanyahu's approach to military action. One person who reportedly heard the president's remarks said Trump complained to advisers that the Israeli leader appeared eager to "bomb everyone."

A senior administration official quoted in the report said Trump has grown weary of what he sees as Netanyahu's repeated calls for military operations.

"Bibi tells the president why he needs to blow something up, and why Israeli intelligence knows how to do it, and when to do it, and the president listens," the official told the newspaper. "The calls are usually the same."

The report also described another conversation in which Trump expressed concern that economic fallout stemming from the conflict with Iran could damage his political standing and draw comparisons with former U.S. President Herbert Hoover, whose presidency became associated with the economic collapse of the Great Depression in the 1930s.