United States President Donald Trump has publicly broken with Israel over its war in Lebanon, saying the conflict has lasted too long and killed too many innocent people.
Speaking on the sidelines of the G7 summit in France on Tuesday, Trump said he wasn't happy with how Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government had handled the fight against Hezbollah, the Iran-backed Lebanese group.
“Israel is fighting Hezbollah too long and too many people are being killed,” Trump said in a video clip published by Bloomberg.
“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.”
Trump then made a suggestion that goes against Israel’s long-standing position: he said Syria should take a greater role in confronting Hezbollah.
“I suggested to Israel to let Syria take care of Hezbollah,” Trump said. “I think they do a better job…”
He also lamented what Lebanon has become. The country, he said, once produced leading intellectuals, doctors, lawyers and academics. Now it's wrecked by political instability, economic collapse, and war.
Trump’s comments come as his administration pushes a broader diplomatic deal with Iran — a deal he said the Lebanon war could derail. The conflict, he argued, casts a “negative light” on efforts to secure a larger regional agreement involving Tehran.
The United States has been working to consolidate a regional de-escalation process after a recent ceasefire framework and direct engagement between Washington and Iran. The Trump administration has also backed efforts to sustain a truce between Israel and Hezbollah, though tensions and sporadic attacks have continued.
The current Middle East war began on 28 February when Israel and the US launched what analysts called an unprovoked attack on Iran, triggering massive retaliation from Tehran.
Israel says its military operations in Lebanon aim to stop Hezbollah attacks. The two sides have been enemies for decades.
Hezbollah is an Iran-backed Lebanese Shiite movement founded during Lebanon’s civil war in the 1980s. It fought a major war with Israel in 2006 and has built up a large arsenal of rockets, missiles and drones. The group has launched repeated cross-border attacks against Israel over the past 40 years.
The latest fighting escalated after Hezbollah attacked Israel as part of a broader regional confrontation involving Iran and its allied groups.
Israel argues that Hezbollah’s military infrastructure near its northern border is a direct threat to Israeli communities and that military action is needed to prevent future attacks.
Israel now faces attacks from multiple fronts: Hezbollah in Lebanon, Hamas in Gaza, the Houthis in Yemen, and direct missile and drone strikes from Iran itself. Analysts describe these groups as Iran’s “Axis of Resistance” — a network of organisations funded, armed and trained by Tehran.
On the ground, Israeli forces have carried out airstrikes and ground operations against Hezbollah positions. Hezbollah has kept up rocket, missile and drone attacks on Israel. Diplomatic efforts have produced temporary reductions in violence, but clashes haven't stopped.
Recently, Trump announced that Israel and Hezbollah had agreed to scale back hostilities after US-mediated contacts. But tensions and sporadic attacks have persisted. The truce is part of Washington’s wider effort to prevent a broader regional war and keep the door open for talks with Iran.