Trump says Syria better than Israel at fighting Hezbollah

Josh Wingrove, Courtney Subramanian and Hadriana Lowenkron, Bloomberg News on Jun 16, 2026

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U.S. President Donald Trump vented his frustration with Israel’s military campaign in Lebanon, going as far to suggest that Syria would do a better job fighting Hezbollah there.

During a meeting at the Group of Seven summit with Qatar’s leader, Trump said Israel’s campaign against the Iran-backed militant group had nearly derailed peace negotiations with Tehran. Trump’s suggestion is a clear jab at Israel. Syria is a longtime adversary of the Jewish state and Israeli leaders are deeply suspicious of the new government in Damascus.

“I suggested to Israel to let Syria take care of Hezbollah,” Trump said Tuesday. “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.”

The meeting comes days after the the U.S. and Iran announced an interim peace deal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a major step toward ending a 15-week war that’s brought a global energy crisis and killed thousands of people.

Trump said that the agreement can survive if Israel continues to carry out attacks in Lebanon, but still he reiterated displeasure with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

“I’ve had a great relationship with Bibi, but now Bibi has to be more responsible with respect to Lebanon,” the U.S. president said, using a nickname for the Israeli leader. “Too many people are being killed, 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.”

Israel is not in favor of the agreement and has insisted it won’t be held back from fighting Hezbollah and stopping the group from launching attacks on its territory. Gulf states, such as Saudi Arabia and the UAE, have cheered the agreement but they have also balked at the idea of Iran charging any fees for shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz.

—With assistance from Kate Sullivan, Meghashyam Mali and Margaret Collins.

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