President Trump said Israel has been fighting Hezbollah 'too long, too many people are dying' and suggested Israel let Syria handle Hezbollah, arguing Syria would do a better job. He also advised against demolishing an apartment building to find a single target, saying not everyone inside is Hezbollah. The remarks, posted on the source relaying his comments, drew criticism from the channel itself, which questioned Trump's cognitive state.
In remarks circulated Tuesday afternoon via an unnamed source, President Donald Trump added a new dimension to his critique of Israel's campaign in Lebanon: he questioned the demolition of entire apartment buildings to target individual Hezbollah members, arguing that not all residents are militants. The remark sharpens Trump's earlier proposal — first reported by The Zioneer at 12:57 Jerusalem — that Syria should handle Hezbollah instead of Israel. The source relaying the comments appended its own critique, questioning Trump's cognitive state based on his phrasing.
Tuesday's thread began at 12:57 Jerusalem with multiple near-simultaneous reports: Trump said Israel's campaign takes 'forever' (KAN 11), proposed Syria take over, expressed he is 'not happy' with Israel's handling, and praised Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa as 'highly talented.' By 13:53 Jerusalem, The Zioneer had consolidated the reports, and at 13:21 analyst Yair Goldblatt interpreted Trump's remarks as acknowledging continued Israeli fighting while raising the possibility of Syrian intervention — a notion Israel strongly opposes. The new comments on demolition tactics add a granular operational critique not present in the earlier reports, but the sourcing remains the same: channel, not an official transcript.
Trump's broader stance fits a pattern The Zioneer has tracked since June 6-7, when an NBC interview showed him endorsing 'more surgical' strikes on Hezbollah and praising Syrian leadership. On Sunday, June 14, Trump called for a cessation of Israeli attacks on Hezbollah and expressed hope for a resolution in Lebanon. Conservative confidant Mark Levin rebuked Trump over his criticism of Israeli strikes, arguing Israel had killed more Hezbollah fighters who murdered Americans than the U.S. had.
What remains open: the message appears via an unnamed source with a disclaimer; no White House transcript or press pool report has been published, and the post itself acknowledges the text may not be a direct verbatim transcript.
14 developments
- StrongTrump blasts Netanyahu's Lebanon policy, urges Israel to let Syria handle Hezbollah
- ConfirmedTrump denounces IDF strikes in Beirut, calls for cessation of attacks on Hezbollah
- DevelopingTrump, in NBC Interview, Endorses 'More Surgical' Strikes on Hezbollah and Praises Syrian Leadership
- DevelopingTrump sends tough messages to Iran, warns Tehran would bear blame for escalation
Source and signal
- Internal intake