President Donald Trump said Prime Minister Netanyahu 'gets a little excited sometimes' and acknowledged a disagreement over Israel's military approach in Lebanon, stating that Israel 'could have done a better job there' and should not level a building every time, according to Trump's remarks reported Wednesday evening by Israeli media.
President Donald Trump added a new personal dimension to his public criticism of Israeli tactics in Lebanon on Wednesday evening, telling Israeli media that Prime Minister Netanyahu 'gets a little excited sometimes' and that Israel 'could have done a better job there' — including by not levelling a building every time. The remarks, reported by Israeli news outlets around 20:00 Jerusalem, extend a thread of increasingly pointed commentary from Trump that began earlier in the day.
As The Zioneer reported, the escalation unfolded across several hours on Wednesday. At 19:17, Trump at the G7 summit urged Netanyahu to be 'gentler' in Lebanon and criticized the demolition of buildings to target individual Hezbollah operatives while calling the premier a 'great guy.' By 19:29, a second bulletin quoted Trump directly telling Netanyahu: 'You can act a little more gently, don't have to level a building every time.' At 19:38, as Trump spoke, the IDF intercepted a Hezbollah drone over southern Lebanon. By 19:46, Trump had suggested Syria could help, since Bashar al-Assad would be happy to deal with Hezbollah, their mutual enemy, but that Lebanon does not want that. Later Wednesday evening, the latest quote — adding 'gets a little excited sometimes' — was published, further sharpening the tone.
The public rift comes as the U.S. pushes a regional diplomatic framework. As The Zioneer reported on Monday June 15, Netanyahu addressed the tension indirectly, saying 'even the best families have disagreements' and that they always find a way to resolve them and work together. The wider context, reported on June 8, includes Trump stating the Beirut strike was not coordinated with the U.S., and the U.S. ambassador to Lebanon saying Trump 'almost clashed' with Netanyahu over Lebanon.
The exact outlet and full context of Wednesday evening's latest quotes remain unconfirmed; the source is a single Israeli media report.
11 developments
- StrongTrump: Netanyahu 'great guy,' told him to be 'gentler' with Lebanon — Hezbollah drone intercepted as he speaks
- DevelopingTrump says ties with Netanyahu are 'excellent,' denies frustration
- DevelopingTrump says Netanyahu is a 'very tough man'; Iran claims ceasefire includes Lebanon
- DevelopingNetanyahu: 'Even the best families have disagreements' amid Trump tensions
Source and signal
- Internal intake