President Donald Trump publicly rebuked Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday at the close of the Group of Seven summit in France, urging Israel to ease its military campaign against Hezbollah in Lebanon as a formal nuclear deal with Iran nears completion.
Trump addressed reporters as the G7 summit wrapped up, acknowledging a dispute with Netanyahu over Israel’s continued strikes on Hezbollah targets in Beirut.
“In all fairness to Bibi Netanyahu, happens to be a good man, gets a little excited sometimes,” Trump said. “We have a little dispute over Lebanon. 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 public comments follow a sharper exchange earlier this week. Trump told Axios on Sunday that Israeli strikes on Beirut had nearly derailed a preliminary agreement with Iran.
On Wednesday, Trump walked that back slightly, saying he supports Israel’s right to defend itself while maintaining the strikes were disproportionate.
“I’m not saying they shouldn’t protect themselves. I’m saying when two drones are shot into the desert and drop harmlessly, you don’t have to knock down buildings in Beirut. They could behave better, and frankly, they could do a better job,” Trump said.
Iran has made a cessation of Israeli strikes on Hezbollah a condition of the ceasefire agreement, using Lebanon as a pressure point between Washington and Jerusalem. The two sides are scheduled to formally sign the deal on Friday. The agreement includes a ceasefire, an agreement to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, and the opening of negotiations on Iran’s nuclear program.
Trump called out Netanyahu at the start of the press conference over a separate incident, noting that Israel had backed out of a planned military operation the night before Trump authorized the 2020 strike that killed Iranian General Qassem Soleimani.
“Israel, but they didn’t want to do that attack. They were all set the night before the attack, then for me they didn’t want to do it,” Trump said.
The president has been pressing Netanyahu to hold back from military action during the final hours of deal negotiations, though the Israeli government has not publicly indicated it will comply with U.S. requests.
