Trump criticises Israel's Lebanon tactics and suggests Syria 'take care' of Hezbollah

Public rebuke at the G7 summit

On the sidelines of the G7 in Évian, France, US President Donald Trump issued a rare public criticism of Israel's military tactics in Lebanon. He said it was unnecessary to bomb entire apartment buildings while hunting Hezbollah militants.

“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 added that Israel has been fighting the Iran-aligned militia "too long" and that "too many people have been killed." Such direct criticism of Israeli military tactics is unusual for a sitting US president.

An unexpected Syrian alternative

Trump then proposed an alternative: he had "suggested to Israel to let Syria take care of Hezbollah." He praised Syrian president Ahmad al-Charaa, describing him as not a boy scout but someone who "did an incredible job" in Syria.

“He is very good on Hezbollah. If Israel can't do the job without killing everyone, he will do it.”

Al-Charaa's Islamist government, which came to power in late 2024, is hostile to the Lebanese militia, but two people present at recent meetings told AFP that Damascus has no intention of intervening in Lebanon. Syria last intervened there during the 1976 civil war.

Furious over a near-derailed Iran deal

The open rift traces back to an Israeli airstrike on Beirut that struck just two hours before the US was set to finalise its peace agreement with Iran. Trump told Axios on Sunday that the strikes had "screwed everything up" and delayed the deal by several hours.

“I was furious. He has no fucking judgment. I let him know.”

He repeated at the G7 that he "did not like at all" the timing of the attack, which he said could have jeopardised the talks.

White House scrambles to soften the tone

Shortly after Trump's remarks, the official White House social media account posted a video of his criticism. A White House official later stated that the president has a strong relationship with Netanyahu and that the Israel Defense Forces are "incredible partners."

“There has been no greater friend to Israel and a fighter for peace than President Trump … Americans and our allies around the world are already safer for the United States and Israel's bold actions to deny the Iranian regime the ability to develop a nuclear weapon.”

The dual messaging underlines the unusual strain in an alliance that Trump himself called "excellent" while insisting that without him "there would be no Israel."