Trump at G7 says Israel would not exist without him, urges Netanyahu to be more careful in Lebanon

At the G7 summit in France, U.S. President Donald Trump met Qatar’s Emir, Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, and said the U.S. agreement with Iran was complete and “should succeed.” He said it had moved to a second stage that he believed would be easier, and described it as a “fair and good” deal because the United States is not putting money into Iran and is not committing to do so. Trump also said Washington would retain the right to act in Iran in the future if he chose to do so.

Trump said regime change in Iran had never been a goal, adding that “it’s happening, they are acting rationally now.” He also claimed, “Without me, there would be no Israel.” Turning to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Trump said, “Bibi needs to be more responsible” in the fighting in Lebanon.

Trump called the fighting in Lebanon a “mini war” and said Israel has been fighting Hezbollah for too long and has suffered casualties. “It cannot knock down a building every time it looks for someone,” he said, adding that if Israel cannot do the job in Lebanon “without killing everyone,” maybe Syria should do it. He said he did not like how Israel is handling Hezbollah, though he said he had good relations with Netanyahu.

Earlier, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said any Israeli strike in Lebanon would be considered a violation of the agreement reached between Iran and the United States. He said a new round of talks with the United States will begin this coming Friday in Switzerland, and added that ending the war in Iran also includes the withdrawal of the IDF from Lebanon.