US President Donald Trump said Benjamin Netanyahu should be "responsible for Lebanon" and let Syria "deal with Hezbollah" in comments to reporters at the G7 summit.
His comments came during a bilateral meeting with the Emir of Qatar, Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, a mediator in US-Iran talks aimed at reaching a framework agreement to end the war.
Trump said Hezbollah remains a problem for the region, but suggested that Israel's response had gone too far and could endanger stability in the Middle East.
On Sunday, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) struck a building in the Lebanese capital, Beirut, injuring more than a dozen people and killing three. Israel said the operation targeted a command center belonging to Hezbollah.
The attack came as the US prepared to announce a framework agreement to end the war with Tehran. Trump acknowledged that Hezbollah is a problem but questioned Netanyahu's methods.
"Israel has been fighting Hezbollah for a very long time and many people are being killed," he told reporters in Évian, France, where the G7 summit is taking place.
“You don’t have to tear down an entire apartment building every time you look for someone, because there are a lot of people living in those apartments and they’re not all Hezbollah.”
Trump suggested that Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa is “very capable” of dealing with Hezbollah, calling him “very good for me.” He added that if Israel cannot carry out the operations “without killing everyone else,” he (al-Sharaa) will do the job.
Asked if he was frustrated by Netanyahu's actions, Trump said no.
"We have a great relationship. I didn't like that he carried out a small drone-based attack in Lebanon... it was cruel. That was too much," he added.
“Now Bibi must be more responsible regarding Lebanon.”
Trump said that, of all the countries affected by the conflict, "they have been treated the worst and cannot defend themselves."
