Justin Bieber ‘Always Seems to Stir the Pot First’ in Never-Ending Hailey Bieber and Selena Gomez Feud

Selena Gomez bit back at Hailey Bieber in a now-deleted social media post — and an insider tells Star that some people are blaming Justin Bieber for stirring up a storm behind the scenes and getting a sick thrill out of pitting the two women against each other.

“These two have gone through so many ups and downs, they actually have a lot of friends in common and there have been times they genuinely seemed to have buried the hatchet,” the insider says. “But then it will all flare up again and most people are pointing the finger at Justin. He’s the one that always seems to stir the pot first.”

The insider points out that when “Selena married Benny [Blanco] last month, Justin posted the wedding song he wrote for Hailey (‘I Do’) to his Instagram the same day” and that “it was totally out of nowhere.”

“Of course, it got everyone talking about him,” the insider continues. “Selena tries her best to ignore it all, but when Hailey went out of her way to say she ‘doesn’t feel competitive with people she’s not inspired by’ [in her recent WSJ Magazine interview] it got Selena’s attention.”

The insider adds that Hailey’s comments “hurt” the Only Murders in the Building star, 33, and “she couldn’t help but respond.”

“She’s tired of the digs and the pettiness and Benny is sick of it too,” the insider explains. “He’s very protective of Selena and he 100 percent blames Justin for trying to stir up trouble.”

The latest flare-up in the longtime tension between Gomez and Hailey, 28, kicked off earlier this month after Hailey made comments in a WSJ Magazine story published on October 14 about not feeling “competitive with people I’m not inspired by.”

Fans immediately took it as a swipe at Gomez — whose Rare Beauty line rivals Hailey’s Rhode — especially since the remark came just weeks after Selena’s wedding to Blanco, 37.

According to People, the newlywed fired back with a now-deleted Instagram Story urging everyone to “be kind” but also calling the situation “about relevance, not intelligence,” reigniting their years-long feud and dragging Justin, 31, back into the drama.