President Donald Trump repeated his suggestion that Syria should address the Hezbollah threat instead of Israel, saying Syria 'would be happy to do it' and that they 'don't like Hezbollah,' according to a report. Trump contrasted a potential Syrian approach with Israel's campaign, claiming Syria would not 'knock down a building every time there's someone from Hezbollah inside.' The remark, reported on Wednesday evening, extends Trump's recent pattern of publicly advising Israel on its Lebanon policy.
President Donald Trump on Wednesday evening, at around 19:34 Jerusalem time, repeated his suggestion that Syria handle the Hezbollah threat instead of Israel, stating that Syrian leadership 'would be happy to do it' as they 'don't like Hezbollah' and would not 'knock down a building every time there's someone from Hezbollah inside,' according to a report.
The remark extends a thread that The Zioneer has tracked since at least Sunday June 7, when Trump first praised Syrian leadership and endorsed 'more surgical' strikes against Hezbollah in an NBC interview. At the G7 summit on Tuesday June 16, Trump called Israel's Lebanon campaign a 'mini-war' and suggested Syria could do the job more effectively. A subsequent, brief report at 19:20 Jerusalem Wednesday had Trump saying Israel 'can do a better job' regarding Hezbollah. The 19:34 report now adds the 'knock down a building' contrast, further sharpening the president's public critique of Israel's tactics.
As The Zioneer has reported, reaction to the proposal has been swift: Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal called it 'completely ludicrous' at 16:26 Jerusalem Wednesday, and conservative commentator Mark Levin rebuked Trump on Sunday June 14, arguing the U.S. should thank Israel for killing Hezbollah terrorists who murdered Americans.
No official Israeli response to the latest remark has been recorded in the thread. The Zioneer noted earlier Tuesday that a reported agreement by Prime Minister Netanyahu to a pilot program in the Sabra and Shatila camps was published but not independently corroborated; the desk has not verified that development.
6 developments
- StrongTrump says he hopes the Lebanon situation can be resolved, acknowledges Hezbollah
- DevelopingTrump, in NBC Interview, Endorses 'More Surgical' Strikes on Hezbollah and Praises Syrian Leadership
- DevelopingTrump says Syria could handle Hezbollah 'without knocking down buildings', Israel should not need to
- StrongTrump says Lebanon clause is 'making a lot of noise,' suggests Syria can help
Source and signal
- Internal intake