President Donald Trump said Netanyahu must act more responsibly regarding Lebanon, according to a statement reported Tuesday. The remark follows a series of Trump statements criticizing Israeli conduct in Lebanon and urging restraint as US-Iran nuclear talks progress.
President Donald Trump on Tuesday afternoon directly told Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu he 'must act more responsibly regarding Lebanon,' according to a report from a subscribed Israeli channel. The remark marks the sharpest public rebuke yet from Trump in a day that has seen a cascade of statements urging restraint.
As The Zioneer reported at 12:58 Jerusalem, Trump earlier Tuesday said the Lebanon war is secondary to the nuclear deal with Iran, called Israel's Beirut strikes unacceptable, and suggested Syria handle the Hezbollah issue instead. In the same bulletin, he noted he has good ties with Netanyahu but said the PM needs to be 'more responsible.' The new statement sharpens that message to a direct imperative.
The Zioneer previously reported that Trump warned Netanyahu on Monday he might be left alone against Iran if escalation spirals, and told the New York Times the PM should thank the U.S. for the Iran deal. The president has increasingly framed Israel's Lebanon operations as a distraction from his priority of securing a nuclear agreement with Tehran.
The specific channel or venue through which Tuesday afternoon's statement was delivered has not been disclosed in the report, and no on-record Israeli response has been cited.
3 developments
- StrongTrump attacks Netanyahu on Lebanon operations: 'Syria should handle them'
- DevelopingCommentator urges Netanyahu to tell Trump Israel will withdraw from Lebanon 'at the right time'
- DevelopingTrump says Netanyahu is a 'very tough man'; Iran claims ceasefire includes Lebanon
- DevelopingIsrael reportedly asked by Trump administration to scale back Lebanon operations
Source and signal
- Internal intake