EVIAN-LES-BAINS, FRANCE June 18: US President Donald Trump said Wednesday that he wants Israel “to use good judgment,” and that he has a “little dispute” over Lebanon with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Anadolu Ajansi (AA) reported.
“No. I want Israel to be able to protect themselves, but I do want them to use good judgment,” Trump told reporters when asked whether he wants Israel to halt its military campaign in Lebanon.
His remarks came during a meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the sidelines of the G7 summit in France.
Tensions continue to flare along the Lebanese-Israeli border despite a recent understanding between Washington and Tehran aimed at ending their military conflict that erupted after Israel and the US launched attacks against Iran on Feb. 28.
On Monday, the Lebanese group Hezbollah welcomed the agreement to end the war, while reaffirming its commitment to Lebanon’s right to self-defence until Israel fully withdraws from Lebanese territory and all prisoners are returned.
Later, addressing a news conference in France, Trump claimed if Iran got nuclear weapon, Israel would have been “blown away.”
The president said the US sent a copy of the deal to Israel, criticising it for attacks in Lebanon.
“I think they (Israel) could do better with respect to Hezbollah. 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,” he added.
He hoped that the peace agreement will be “the beginning of a much larger deal” across the Middle East.
“The Lebanon piece is something we’ll have to work on a little bit. It’s a very small piece of the puzzle, actually, but it still makes a lot of noise,” Trump said.
He also announced that the Lebanese president will visit the US “very shortly, over the next week or two.”
— BERNAMA-ANADOLU