President Donald Trump reiterated Wednesday evening his view that Syrian President Abu Mohammad al-Julani is capable of handling Hezbollah in a more targeted manner than Israel, according to reports by Israel Hayom. Trump said al-Julani 'is their enemy, but he won't knock down a building every time. He'd just kill them.' The remarks add to a series of statements this week in which Trump encouraged the Syrian leadership to act against Hezbollah, a notion Israel has opposed.
President Donald Trump continued his pattern of publicly advising Israeli policy in Lebanon with a fresh remark Wednesday evening: Syria, he said, can handle Hezbollah without 'knocking down buildings' — a surgical approach he contrasted with Israel's operations. The comment, reported by Israel Hayom, adds a specific operational claim to a theme Trump has repeated throughout the day: that Syrian President Abu Mohammad al-Julani would target Hezbollah precisely, while Israel 'never finishes.' This is the fifth version of a story The Zioneer has tracked since Wednesday 13:59 Jerusalem, when Trump first said he spoke with a Syrian leader about fighting Hezbollah in Lebanon.
What we reported and when: At 13:59 Jerusalem, the desk published the first report — Trump said he spoke with a Syrian leader about the option to fight Hezbollah, attributed to journalist Asaf Rozentzweig (N12), with no details on the conversation or Syrian response. Minutes later, in a second item at the same timestamp, Trump was cited saying Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa 'would love' to enter Lebanon and take precise action — a contrast with Israel's targeting of buildings. A third report, also at 13:59, cited both Amichai Stein (i24NEWS) and Rozentzweig (N12), with Trump reiterating that al-Sharaa would act precisely. A fourth item, at 13:59 as well, carried Trump praising al-Julani's leadership as 'outstanding' and again saying he would not knock down buildings. The current fifth version (Wednesday 19:51 Jerusalem) consolidates these reports with a quote from Israel Hayom: 'He'd just kill them.' Across the thread, corroboration has widened from a single journalist to multiple newsrooms — Israel Hayom, i24NEWS, N12 — though no on-record confirmation from the White House or Syrian side has appeared.
Attributed background: As The Zioneer reported on Tuesday (June 16, 21:53 Jerusalem), Trump said Israel should have 'finished Hezbollah all the way and fast, but it never does.' Earlier Tuesday (13:21 Jerusalem), analyst Yair Goldblatt noted that Trump raises the possibility of Syrian forces invading Lebanon to dismantle Hezbollah — an idea Israel strongly opposes. On Monday, Trump reiterated in an NBC interview his support for 'more surgical' strikes and praise for Syrian leadership. The Zioneer also reported on Wednesday (19:48 Jerusalem) that Trump said Syrian President Bashar al-Assad 'would be happy to step in,' and that the Lebanese president is expected in Washington soon.
What remains open: The White House has not indicated whether Trump's statements reflect official U.S. policy. No Syrian or Lebanese response to his remarks has been reported. It is unclear whether Trump's repeated references to al-Sharaa/al-Julani reflect a single conversation or multiple interactions.
4 developments
- StrongTrump says Syria 'would be happy' to handle Hezbollah, Lebanese president to visit Washington
- DevelopingTrump, in NBC Interview, Endorses 'More Surgical' Strikes on Hezbollah and Praises Syrian Leadership
- StrongGoldblatt: Trump acknowledges Israeli fighting against Hezbollah in Lebanon will continue
- ConfirmedTrump Slams Israel's Lebanon Campaign as 'Mini-War,' Suggests Syria Should Handle Hezbollah
Source and signal
- Internal intake