Paris: In a clear message for Benjamin Netanyahu, US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday there would be “no Israel” if it were not for him, and called on the Israeli Prime Minister to be “more responsible” vis-à-vis Lebanon.
During a meeting with Qatari Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani on the sidelines of the G7 summit in Evian, France, Trump said, “Without me, there would be no Israel, because no other President was willing to do what I did.”
Even as the US and Iran agreed to strike a deal to end the conflict in West Asia and lead to reo
pening of Strait of Hormuz, Lebanon has remained a sticking point.
Iran has been repeatedly stressing that Lebanon must be included in any ceasefire deal, but Israel has been adamant about halting its military campaign against the Hezbollah. Israel has not formally endorsed the US-Iran agreement, with a number of leaders saying that they won’t be dictated by the US.
With a deal very close, Israel launched a series of strikes in Beirut two days ago, which infuriated Trump. Critical of Israel’s military actions in Beirut, the US President acknowledged on Sunday that “too many people are being killed” in the region.
Trump said he had a “great relationship” with Netanyahu, but stressed that he should be “more responsible” with respect to Lebanon.
Asked if the Iran deal will ultimately come through, Trump said, “Iran’s the big one, but we have that little pinprick out there that constantly rears its head and that’s Hezbollah.”
Trump said he had suggested Israel let Syria “take care” of Hezbollah.
“I suggested to Israel to let Syria take care of Hezbollah because to be honest with you, I think they’d do a better job of doing it,” the US President said.