Trump: I’m ‘not happy’ with how Israel has fought Hezbollah; Syria should do so instead

US President Donald Trump criticizes Israel’s conduct against Hezbollah and says that Syria should take over the fight against the Iran-backed terror group in Lebanon.

He says that the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah has gone on for too long and suggests that Israel is killing too many noncombatants.

“Israel is fighting Hezbollah too long and too many people are being killed,” Trump says in remarks at the G7 summit of global leaders in France. “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.”

Trump says later, “I’m not happy with the way Israel has handled themselves with Lebanon and with Hezbollah. They should have been able to do the job faster. It just goes on forever. And when that happens, it throws a negative light on the big deal, and that’s the deal with Iran.”

He reiterates that he was upset about Israel’s strike on Hezbollah in Beirut on Sunday, shortly before the interim peace deal between Iran and the US was announced.

“I didn’t like where, two hours before we’re signing the agreement, that there was an attack in Lebanon, in Beirut,” he says.

He refers to Ahmed al-Sharaa, the president of Syria, saying that he would more effectively lead the fight against Hezbollah.

“I suggested to Israel to let Syria take care of Hezbollah,” Trump says. “Because to be honest with you, I think they’d do a better job of doing it.”

He says of Sharaa, “He’s very capable. And he’s been very good for me. He’s protected everything that I’ve asked for.”

“If Israel can’t do the job without killing everyone else, he’ll do the job. Syria will do the job,” Trump adds.