Trump: Netanyahu must be ‘more responsible’; ‘don’t knock down’ a building looking for someone
President Donald Trump said he is not frustrated with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, but criticized Israel’s handling of Lebanon and Hezbollah.
“I’ve had a great relationship with Bibi, but now Bibi has to be more responsible with respect to Lebanon,” Trump during a bilateral meeting with Qatar.
Trump said he was “not happy” with the way Israel has handled the situation, saying the conflict “goes on forever” and creates complications for broader regional diplomacy.
“When you ask me about Bibi, an unbelievable relationship,” Trump said, while adding that Israel “would have been blown up a long time ago had I not gotten involved.”
Israel’s campaign to root out Hezbollah terrorists in Lebanon pales in comparison to the threat of a nuclear Iran.
“I consider that the minor war – Iran the big one – but we have that a little pinprick out there that constantly rears its head, and that’s Hezbollah,” Trump said.
“And I’ll tell you what, Israel’s fighting Hezbollah too long and too many people are being killed.
“And 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 that I can tell you.”
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