President Donald Trump told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to be more responsible with Lebanon during the G7 summit in June 2024 [1].
The exchange signals a potential shift in U.S. diplomatic pressure on Israel to limit its military engagements in Lebanon to prevent a wider regional war.
Trump said he was not happy with the way Israel has handled themselves with Lebanon and with Hezbollah [2]. During the summit, Trump said to Netanyahu to "be responsible with Lebanon, let Syria handle Hezbollah" [1].
The remarks highlight a specific tension regarding the management of Hezbollah, the Lebanese militant group. By suggesting that Syria take the lead in handling the group, Trump proposed a strategic redirection of the conflict's burden away from direct Israeli-Lebanese confrontation.
Reports on the meeting vary regarding the presence of other regional leaders. One account said that the Qatar Emir watched as Trump made the remarks [3]. However, other reports indicate that the Qatar Emir met with Trump separately to discuss regional de-escalation [4].
Trump's comments reflect a broader desire to avoid an escalation of hostilities in the Levant. He said that Netanyahu must be more responsible with respect to Lebanon to ensure stability [2].
“"be responsible with Lebanon, let Syria handle Hezbollah"”
These remarks indicate a US strategy aimed at containment by delegating the management of Hezbollah to Syria. If implemented, this approach would seek to reduce the direct friction between Israel and Lebanon, potentially shifting the geopolitical pressure toward the Syrian government to neutralize the militant group.
