US President Donald Trump is voicing his opinion on the latest Israel-Hezbollah conflict, calling the actions of the Lebanese militant group “very smart”, while also blaming Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for not doing enough to avoid the conflict.
Tensions between Israel and the Lebanese militant group of Hezbollah have been rising in recent months. It started mid May after reports of an Israeli airstrike in Syria against an Iranian weapons facility. In the weeks since, Hezbollah has responded with rocket fire, hitting multiple Israeli military positions along the border.
The conflict has only intensified, with numerous airstrikes and ground clashes. Now President Trump has weighed in on the situation, telling Prime Minister Netanyahu to do more to de-escalate the conflict. In an interview with CBN News, Trump was critical of Netanyahu, saying “I think that Prime Minister Netanyahu has got to get his government to a much more stable position”.
At the same time, Trump commended Hezbollah for their actions, calling their response “very smart.” He said that when it comes to their response to the airstrikes and ground clashes, they have been “remarkably intelligent and well played.” This marks a departure from the usual US policy of avoiding praise for militant groups like Hezbollah.
Trump’s comments could be seen as a warning to Netanyahu to be more cautious in his actions against Hezbollah. The president has long been a staunch supporter of Israel, and in the eyes of many, his comments are an attempt to stop the violence before it snowballs into a full scale war.
The stalled peace process, the animosity between Hezbollah and Israel, as well as a lack of international oversight, has all led to the current conflict. With President Trump now weighing in, the prospects of avoiding a larger confrontation are unclear. But at the very least, his comments show that he is not blindly supporting Israel, and will not stand for war without consequences.