US President Donald Trump criticized Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a press interview with Axios. He stated their relationship is “good, but we have to keep him a little bit sane.”
Trump asserted he can control Israeli military actions in Lebanon because officials there “do as I say.” He highlighted American military superiority, saying that the US provides “the guns” and “B-2 bombers,” and claimed that without his intervention, Israel would have been “eviscerated.”
Earlier this week, Trump advised Netanyahu to use a “softer touch” in Lebanon. The latest remarks coincide with the announcement of a new ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah on Friday afternoon.
The truce follows an escalation that killed 47 people in southern Lebanon and four Israeli soldiers since early Friday. According to official figures, Israel’s military offensive in Lebanon since March 2 has killed 3,912 people, injured 11,873 others, and displaced more than one million residents. Israel continues to occupy areas in southern Lebanon, some for decades and others since the latest conflict.