Trump publicly slams Netanyahu over 'vicious' Beirut strike at G7

US President Donald Trump has launched a public rebuke of Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, describing a recent Israeli airstrike on Beirut as "vicious" and "too much" and warning that Netanyahu "has to be more responsible with respect to Lebanon."

The US president's sharp criticism on the sidelines of the G7 summit in France on Tuesday came in response to an Israeli attack on a building in Beirut's southern suburbs on June 14, which killed at least three people, including a senior Hezbollah commander, and wounded more than a dozen others.

The attack occurred just hours before Washington and Tehran were set to announce a framework deal to end the war on Iran, which is set to be formally signed on Friday in Switzerland.

When asked directly by reporters if he was frustrated with Netanyahu, Trump said no but made clear his displeasure.

"I didn't like that he did an attack [over] a very minor little thing with some drones. I saw that attack, I saw where that bomb went. That was a vicious... that was too much," Trump said.

"Now Bibi has to be more responsible with respect to Lebanon."

Trump expressed broader frustration with Israel's war on Lebanon, saying it has gone on "too long" and killed "too many people."

"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," he said.

Israeli attack on Beirut shows US lacks will or ability to meet commitments: Qalibaf

Iran

Trump also asserted that Israel owes its existence to Washington.

"Without the United States, there would be no Israel. Without me, there would be no Israel, because no other president was willing to do what I did," he said.

Israeli officials have signaled they have no intention of halting attacks on Lebanon, with military affairs minister Israel Katz stating that Israel opposes any withdrawal from southern Lebanon.

Netanyahu has not publicly responded to Trump's criticism or the US-Iran deal.

Syria option for Lebanon

Trump also suggested that Syria, under its HTS-led regime, could take over the fight against Hezbollah if Israel cannot do the job "without killing everyone else."

"If Israel can't do the job without killing everyone else, he'll do the job. Syria will do the job," Trump said during a bilateral meeting with Qatar's Emir.

"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," Trump said.

The US president praised Abu Mohammad al-Jolani, the HTS leader who seized Damascus in December 2024 with his group, as "very capable" and someone who has "done an amazing job of pulling it together" in Syria.

"He's very good with Hezbollah, does not like them," Trump said.

US seeks to establish military presence at Damascus airbase amid HTS-Israel normalization deal

The US is preparing to establish a military presence at an airbase in the Syrian capital Damascus.

Trump and al-Jolani met in Riyadh in May 2025. A few months later, in November 2025, the US formally revoked al-Jolani's designation as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist, paving the way for his visit to Washington.

Trump later hailed him as a future "great leader" in a handwritten note.

However, the HTS-led regime in Syria has rejected any military role in Lebanon, with commanders saying that they support strengthening Lebanese state institutions rather than military intervention.

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