Former U.S. President Donald Trump, upon arriving at the G7 summit, sharply criticized Israel's conduct of the war in Lebanon, calling it a 'mini-war' and suggesting Israel is taking 'too long' against Hezbollah. 'If Israel can't do the job in Lebanon without killing everyone, maybe Syria should do it,' Trump said, according to reports. He also asserted that 'without the U.S., without me — there would be no Israel,' and urged Prime Minister Netanyahu to be 'more responsible' with Lebanon.
Former U.S. President Donald Trump arrived at the G7 summit Tuesday afternoon and sharply criticized Israel's military campaign in Lebanon, calling it a 'mini-war' and suggesting that if Israel cannot complete the mission 'without killing everyone,' Syria should take over the effort. The remarks escalate a pattern of U.S. pressure on Prime Minister Netanyahu that has intensified throughout the day, with Trump now publicly pressing for an Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon by Friday, as The Zioneer reported earlier Tuesday.
The thread of Trump's statements has evolved rapidly since the first report at 12:58 Jerusalem. Initial reports, citing journalist Barak Betesh, said Trump told Netanyahu to be 'more responsible' regarding Lebanon. Within the same hour, The Zioneer published additional versions: Trump said the fighting has 'dragged on too long' and suggested Syria should handle Hezbollah instead of Israel. Later reports, sourced to Trump's remarks at a G7 press conference and to the source New_security8200, added that Trump specifically criticized the Beirut strike as 'excessive' and said he had told Israel he did not like it. Another thread version cited Israeli security officials telling Maariv that 'Beirut has become a prohibited zone for IDF operations.'
As The Zioneer reported on Sunday June 14, senior Israeli officials criticized a Trump tweet on a Lebanon strike, with ministers admitting the strategy of decoupling the Iran and Lebanon fronts had failed. A Monday report noted that Trump had reportedly accepted Iran's condition linking the Lebanon ceasefire to the nuclear deal, causing deep disappointment in Israel. Trump has also previously endorsed 'more surgical' strikes against Hezbollah and praised Syrian leadership, in an NBC interview reported on June 7.
The precise audience and full context of Trump's latest remarks remain unclear, and no official Israeli response has been published at this hour.
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