Israeli Forces Strike Lebanon Amid Trump Criticism
Quick Look
- Israeli jets struck southern Lebanon despite US President Trump's criticism of the actions.
- Trump urged PM Netanyahu to be more responsible, stating Israel had fought Hezbollah for too long.
- The strikes occurred amid a US-Iran deal that reportedly includes Lebanon.
AI-generated summary
Why It Matters
Israeli forces conducted new strikes in southern Lebanon, drawing criticism from US President Trump. These actions occurred amidst ongoing tensions and a developing US-Iran deal that reportedly involves Lebanon.
Israeli forces have reportedly carried out new strikes in southern Lebanon despite renewed criticism from US President Donald Trump of Israel's actions in the country.
On Wednesday, Israeli jets struck the Nabatieh al-Fawqa area and the outskirts of neighbouring Kfar Tebnit, Lebanon's state-run National News Agency (NNA) said. The Israeli military has not yet commented, but has previously said it is targeting the Iran-backed armed group Hezbollah.
The text of a deal between the US and Iran to end the war has not been released, but mediator Pakistan says it includes Lebanon.
On Tuesday, Trump said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu needed "to be more responsible with respect to Lebanon".
Speaking at the G7 summit in France, he also said that Israel had been fighting Hezbollah for "too long and too many people are being killed".
Both Israel and Hezbollah have carried out attacks against each other since the US-Iran agreement was announced on Sunday night.
Earlier that day, an Israeli air strike on Beirut in response to cross-border rocket attack by Hezbollah had put pressure on attempts to finalise the deal.
Trump told the G7 that he had a "great relationship" with Netanyahu but said he "didn't like that he did an attack... that was too much".
He added: "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."
Netanyahu said on Monday that his country's forces would remain in Lebanon "for as long as necessary".
Iran's Foreign Minister, Abbas Araghchi, has warned that it would view any Israeli attack on Lebanon or continued Israeli military presence in Lebanese territory as a violation of the interim agreement with the US.
The contents of the agreement - referred to as a memorandum of understanding - have not been officially released.
Both sides were expected sign the deal on Friday in the Swiss resort of Bürgenstock, Switzerland's Foreign Ministry told the Schweiz Heute newspaper.
Trump said he would likely hold a news conference to publicly read the agreement between the US and Iran "word by word".
He also said the deal meant Iran would "never have a nuclear weapon" and that the crucial Strait of Hormuz waterway in the Gulf would reopen and be "toll-free".
Trump has argued this deal would be better than the one Barack Obama negotiated when he was president.
"We didn't pay for it like Obama did. He paid billions of dollars," Trump said on Tuesday.
What to Watch
AI outlook — possibilities, not facts
Further Israeli strikes in Lebanon are possible.
Likely · Within days
Increased diplomatic pressure on Israel from the US.
Likely · Within weeks
Open Questions
- What are the specific terms of the US-Iran deal regarding Lebanon?
- What will be Israel's next move in response to the deal and criticism?
- How will Iran react to continued Israeli military presence?





