Trump said he is disappointed with Israel's campaign in Lebanon — Bloomberg
U.S. President Donald Trump expressed his disappointment with Israel’s military operation in Lebanon and stated that Syria would have handled “Hezbollah” better.
The American leader made this sensational statement during a meeting with the leader of Qatar on the sidelines of the G7 summit taking place in France.
The White House chief is convinced that protracted hostilities are negatively impacting efforts to reach global peace agreements in the Middle East.
According to the U.S. president, the Israeli army’s sustained strikes on militant positions are creating serious obstacles to a diplomatic settlement.
Trump noted that Israel’s operation against the Iranian-backed Hezbollah militants “nearly derailed peace talks” with Tehran.
Washington is currently actively trying to finalize large-scale agreements, so the prolongation of the conflict is causing irritation within the U.S. administration.
The U.S. president openly acknowledged that he had other ideas for resolving this crisis and proposed alternative options for involving regional players.
“I suggested to Israel that they let Syria deal with Hezbollah,” Trump said. “I’m unhappy with how Israel has handled Lebanon and Hezbollah. They should have done this sooner. It just goes on forever, and when that happens, it casts a negative light on the big deal, namely the deal with Iran.”
Analysts note that such harsh remarks by Donald Trump are a clear and unprecedented attack on Israel.
Syria has traditionally been a long-standing enemy of the Jewish state, so Israeli leaders deeply distrust the new government in Damascus.
Any ideas regarding the expansion of Syrian influence or military intervention by the neighboring country in Lebanon are viewed in Tel Aviv with great skepticism and caution.
Despite differences over the Lebanese issue, the U.S. side hopes to maintain the viability of other strategic tracks.
In particular, Trump also stated that the agreement with Iran regarding the opening of the Strait of Hormuz could “hold up” if Israel continues to strike Lebanon, but at the same time reiterated his dissatisfaction with the actions of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The White House is calling on its partners to exercise greater restraint amid de-escalation with Iran.
Bloomberg reports this.
Trump stated that the U.S. is focused on resolving the war between Ukraine and Russia
Earlier, a city council employee was killed during a nighttime shelling in Kharkiv
As a reminder, Russia attacked the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, causing a fire.
Prior to that, Russian drones struck the Zaporizhzhia region, leaving several people injured.
Five State Emergency Service rescuers were killed as a result of the Russian attack on Kharkiv.
