Trump urges softer Israeli approach in Lebanon

Evian, June 17 (IANS) President Donald Trump on Wednesday publicly urged Israel to show greater restraint in Lebanon, saying he supports Israel’s security needs but believes it should adopt a “softer touch” in responding to threats from Hezbollah.

At a press conference at the conclusion of the G7 summit in France, Trump said the newly announced Iran agreement could create an opportunity to address lingering tensions in Lebanon, which he described as one of the remaining challenges in the region.

“We have a little dispute over Lebanon,” Trump said while discussing his relationship with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

“I say, you can do a little softer touch, Bibi. You don’t have to knock down a building every time somebody walks into it that’s from Hezbollah.”

The remarks represented one of Trump’s most direct public criticisms of Israeli military tactics since returning to office.

While praising Netanyahu and describing the US-Israel partnership as strong, Trump suggested that Israel’s response to Hezbollah attacks has at times been disproportionate.

“They were terrific,” Trump said of Israel’s role in the recent conflict with Iran. “But they could do a much better job with Hezbollah.”

“On that, I don’t think they’re doing well, and I feel very bad for Lebanon,” he added.

Trump said Lebanon had suffered decades of instability and conflict and deserved an opportunity to recover.

“Lebanon has been — you know, it was a great culture,” he said. “They had the professors, the doctors, the lawyers; it was an incredible culture.”

“For the last 50, 60 years, they have been just trashed. They have been living in hell.”

The President said efforts to secure peace in Lebanon would form part of a broader diplomatic agenda following the agreement reached with Iran.

“The Lebanon peace is something we’ll have to work on a little bit,” Trump said. “It’s a very small piece of the puzzle, actually, but it still makes a lot of noise.”

“The big deal is the Iran deal,” he added. “But they have Hezbollah, and we’ve got to get that done one way or the other.”

Trump also suggested that regional actors could play a role in addressing the Hezbollah issue.

Referring to Syria’s new leadership, he said: “Hezbollah is an enemy of his.”

The President revealed that Lebanon’s leadership would soon visit Washington for discussions.

“The president is going to be coming — prime minister, president is going to be coming over to see us very shortly, over the next week or two,” Trump said.

Senior US officials later told reporters that Washington views Hezbollah and other Iran-backed groups as part of the next phase of regional diplomacy following the nuclear agreement. One senior US official said future discussions would focus on “regional stability and funding of proxies.”

Trump nevertheless emphasised that his relationship with Netanyahu remained strong.

“We’ve had an amazing partnership,” he said. “He’s been an amazing prime minister.”

The comments came as the administration seeks to convert the Iran agreement into a broader regional settlement that could include efforts to reduce tensions involving Hezbollah and strengthen stability across the Middle East.

–IANS

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