US President Donald Trump publicly criticised Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a meeting with Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al-Thani at the G7 summit in France on Tuesday, expressing frustration over Israel’s continued military actions in Lebanon despite ongoing diplomatic efforts in the region.
Speaking at the summit in Evian, Trump underlined the close ties between Washington and Israel while highlighting his own role in supporting the country.
“Without the United States, there would be no Israel. Without me, there would be no Israel because no other president was willing to do what I did,” Trump said at G7, reported Hindustan Times.
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Trump calls for restraint in Lebanon
With a US-Iran peace deal expected to be formally signed this week, Trump urged Israel to scale back its operations in Lebanon.
“I had a great relationship with Bibi, but now Bibi has to be more responsible with respect to Lebanon,” Trump said.
His remarks came after reports that Israel carried out strikes in Beirut shortly before the peace agreement was expected to be finalised. One of Iran’s reported conditions for a ceasefire was a complete halt to Israeli attacks in Lebanon.
Trump made it clear he was unhappy with the timing and intensity of the strikes.
“I let them know that. I didn't like that, not at all,” he said. He later described the bombing as “vicious” and “too much”.
Netanyahu defends security policy
Netanyahu, however, maintained that security threats against Israel remain active across the region.
“We established deep security zones around the State of Israel. We did this in Gaza, in Lebanon, and in Syria,” he said during a press conference on Monday, per an HT report.
“And I want to make it clear: we will remain in these security zones for as long as necessary to protect our country.”
Trump also voiced concern about civilian casualties linked to Israeli operations against Hezbollah.
“You don't have to knock down an apartment house every time you're looking for somebody because there's a lot of people in those apartment houses and they're not all Hezbollah, that I can tell you,” he said.
Syria suggested as alternative
The US President suggested Syria could play a larger role in dealing with Hezbollah.
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“If Israel can't do the job without killing everyone else, Syria should do the job,” Trump said.
He also praised Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, saying “he has pulled that country together very quickly, he's very capable, and he's very good for me. He's protected everything that I've asked for”.
During the meeting, Trump expressed confidence that the US-Iran peace deal would hold, calling it “fair” and “good”, while Qatar’s Emir described the agreement as a “very important deal” for the region.
FAQs:
What did Trump say about Netanyahu at the G7 Summit?
Trump said Netanyahu needed to be more responsible regarding Israel's actions in Lebanon.
Why did Trump criticise Israel's strikes in Lebanon?
He said the timing and scale of the attacks were excessive and harmful to civilians.
