US President Donald Trump has criticised Israel over its prolonged military confrontation with Hezbollah, suggesting that Syria could potentially manage
the situation more effectively. Speaking at the G7 Summit on Tuesday, Trump said the conflict has dragged on for too long and resulted in excessive civilian casualties. Addressing reporters, Trump remarked that “the man that’s running Syria now” is “very good with Hezbollah,” adding that Syria might be better positioned to deal with the Iran-backed group than Israel. He expressed concern over the humanitarian impact of Israel’s ongoing operations, arguing that repeated airstrikes have caused unnecessary destruction. “You don’t have to knock down an apartment house every time you’re looking for somebody, because there are a lot of people in those apartment houses, and they’re not all Hezbollah,” he said. Trump also voiced frustration over what he described as the slow progress of Israel’s campaign in Lebanon, stating that the conflict has gone on “for too long” and resulted in too many deaths. In remarks during a meeting with Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani on the sidelines of the summit, Trump reiterated his close ties with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, while also urging greater caution in Lebanon. “Bibi has to be more responsible with respect to Lebanon,” Trump said. “I am not happy with the way Israel has handled themselves with Lebanon and Hezbollah. They should have been able to do the job faster.” According to CNN, Trump also claimed he had suggested that Syrian President Ahmed Al-Sharaa—whom he described as “a person that I put there”—should be allowed to take responsibility for dealing with Hezbollah. “He’s not a Boy Scout, but he’s done an amazing job of pulling it together, and he is very good with Hezbollah. Does not like them,” Trump said. “I suggested to Israel to let Syria take care of Hezbollah, because to be honest with you, I think they do a better job of doing it.” He further argued that the ongoing conflict risks undermining broader diplomatic efforts, including recent US-Iran negotiations. Trump said continued Israeli strikes in Beirut could negatively affect the momentum of peace talks. “The attack it was responding to was very small and meaningless, nobody was hurt, injured, or killed, and should not disrupt this important process,” he said in a post on Truth Social, referring to recent Israeli strikes on Hezbollah targets in Beirut. Israel has maintained that its military actions are in response to Hezbollah attacks in northern Israel and asserts its right to self-defence.
