Trump CriticizesIsrael’s Lebanon Strategy, Suggests Syria Could Counter Hezbollah

“Syria is better positioned than Israel to combat Hezbollah,” Donald Trump said, offering a striking criticism of Tel Aviv’s campaign in Lebanon and its rising civilian casualties.

Speaking ahead of a meeting with Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani on the sidelines of the G7 summit in Evian, Trump said he was “not happy” with Israel’s approach to Lebanon and warned that the offensive was jeopardizing U.S. attempts to broker a broader regional agreement with Iran.

“I’m not happy with the way Israel has handled Lebanon and Hezbollah,” Trump said. “It drags on endlessly and casts a negative shadow over the larger deal with Iran.”

“You don’t need to raze an apartment building each time you’re hunting for someone,” he added, in one of his most pointed public rebukes yet of Israel’s military tactics.

Trump subsequently suggested that Syrian President Ahmed Al-Sharaa, who assumed power after Bashar al-Assad’s ouster in 2024, should be given the opportunity to confront Hezbollah.

The U.S. president said he had urged Israeli officials to let Syria “handle Hezbollah,” adding, “I think they would do a better job of doing it.”

These remarks reflect mounting frustration in Washington with Israel’s expanding war in Lebanon, which is increasingly impeding U.S. efforts to solidify an agreement with Iran. The United States and Iran have agreed on a framework to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, lift restrictions on Iranian ports, and launch a 60‑day negotiation period toward a final settlement. The arrangement is also expected to encompass a ceasefire across several regional fronts, including Lebanon, where Hezbollah has been a key Iranian proxy.

However, Israel is accused of undermining the effort through continued strikes in Lebanon.

Lebanon has emerged as a critical pressure point in U.S.–Iran negotiations. Tehran, which backs Hezbollah, insists that Israel’s continued presence and attacks in Lebanon must be addressed in any broader regional arrangement.

Trump’s comments indicate that the White House increasingly perceives Israel’s campaign in Lebanon as a direct threat to its wider regional strategy. The U.S. president had previously warned both Israel and Hezbollah to “stand down” after an Israeli strike in southern Beirut risked complicating the Iran talks.

Israel’s offensive in Lebanon, which began in March, has resulted in more than 3,800 deaths, thousands of injuries, and the displacement of large civilian populations. Israeli ground forces have also occupied hundreds of square kilometres of southern Lebanon.

Israel has insisted that it will not halt its campaign until Hezbollah is defeated. Yet Trump’s remarks reveal a growing rift between Washington and Tel Aviv over the scale, duration, and political cost of Israel’s military operations.

Syria’s new rulers are likewise hostile toward Hezbollah, which fought on behalf of the ousted Assad regime during the Syrian civil war. This animosity appears to be what Trump referenced when he said Al-Sharaa was “very good with Hezbollah” and “does not like them.”

However, any Syrian military role in Lebanon remains highly unlikely. Al-Sharaa has denied intentions to intervene, calling such reports “nothing but speculation,” and stressed that Damascus seeks to end the war in Lebanon rather than expand it.

Al-Sharaa has dismissed claims of Syrian military intervention as “completely untrue,” adding that the priority was stability amid Israeli attacks that have displaced more than 1.5 million people.

Source link