President Donald Trump, in remarks reported Tuesday, sharply criticized Israel's military campaign against Hezbollah, saying Israel has been fighting "too long" and that too many people are dying. Trump said he told Israel he did not like the Beirut strike, called it "excessive," and reiterated his suggestion that Syria under Ahmad al-Sharaa should handle Hezbollah. "If Israel can't do the job without killing everyone, Syria will do the job," he said, according to the source New_security8200.
President Donald Trump intensified his public pressure on Israel's northern front policy in remarks reported Tuesday at 15:39 Jerusalem time. According to the source New_security8200, Trump stated that Israel has been fighting Hezbollah "too long" and that too many people are dying, calling the Israeli strike on Beirut "excessive" and saying he told Israel he did not like it. Trump reiterated his suggestion that Syria under Ahmad al-Sharaa should handle Hezbollah, saying: "If Israel can't do the job without killing everyone, Syria will do the job." He added that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu "has to be more responsible" regarding Lebanon and expressed dissatisfaction with Israel's conduct.
The new remarks follow a series of escalating statements from Trump on the same theme. At 15:00 Jerusalem, The Zioneer reported Trump saying Israel cannot carry out its mission "without killing everyone" and proposing Syria as an alternative. By 12:58 Jerusalem, in a thread of five versions spanning just minutes, Trump had already told Netanyahu to be "more responsible" on Lebanon (i24NEWS journalist Barak Betesh, version 1), suggested Syria handle Hezbollah (version 2), called the Lebanon war secondary to the Iran deal (version 3), said Netanyahu must act more responsibly (version 4), and reportedly pressured Israel to withdraw from Lebanon by Friday (Israel Hayom's Shirit Avitan Cohen, version 5). The intensity and specificity of the criticism have escalated rapidly throughout the day.
As The Zioneer reported on Monday (04:16 Jerusalem), Trump told Fox News the Beirut strike was not coordinated with the U.S. and that he planned to call Netanyahu to urge restraint. On Sunday (18:59 Jerusalem), Trump had called for a cessation of attacks by all parties in Lebanon amid U.S.-Iran deal efforts. The consistency and volume of Trump's public pressure — now citing a specific deadline for withdrawal — suggest a concerted push by the administration to reshape Israel's northern strategy, though the president's own timeline has shifted from Sunday's general ceasefire call to Tuesday's reported Friday deadline.
Trump's latest comments, reported initially by a single source (New_security8200), have not been independently confirmed by other outlets or official U.S. statements as of 15:41 Jerusalem. Nor has the White House or State Department issued an on-record statement corroborating the reported Friday withdrawal ultimatum.
6 developments
- StrongTrump: If Israel can't avoid killing everyone in Lebanon, let Syria do the job
- StrongTrump reiterates criticism of Israeli airstrikes in Lebanon, says apartment buildings should not be targeted for individual operatives
- StrongGoldblatt: Trump acknowledges Israeli fighting against Hezbollah in Lebanon will continue
- DevelopingTrump, in NBC Interview, Endorses 'More Surgical' Strikes on Hezbollah and Praises Syrian Leadership
Source and signal
- Internal intake