President Donald Trump boards Air Force One at Joint Base Andrews, Md. AP
"I'd like to see a more surgical attack on Hezbollah. I think it should be more surgical," Trump told NBC’s Meet the Press, according to a transcript of the interview recorded Friday. "I'd like to see Lebanon have a better life," he added.
Israel carried out strikes on Sunday on the southern suburbs of Beirut, despite a US-brokered ceasefire deal announced last week. It claimed it was targeting "Hezbollah facilities" but provided no evidence.
Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency reported that the strike hit two apartments in two buildings in the Haret Hreik area toward Marjayoun, near Al-Hashim station, with reports of injuries.
Late Saturday, at least 14 people were killed in Israeli attacks across southern Lebanon, including three Lebanese army personnel whose military vehicle was targeted.
Lebanese army soldiers carry the coffin of Brigadier General Wissam Sabra, who was killed in an Israeli strike, during his funeral in Beirut. AFP
Asked whether he was demanding that Lebanon be included in the Iran deal, Trump replied: "No, no. Not at all. I'm not demanding. I think they'd like to see it, but I'm not demanding."
Trump has previously said he would like to "separate" the discussions on Lebanon from the negotiations on an agreement with Iran, while Tehran wants to link the two conflicts.
Israel’s war on Lebanon has killed at least 3,613 people and injured over 11,072 since it began on March 2, according to the latest official figures. On the Israeli side, 29 soldiers and one contractor have been killed in Lebanon, the army reported.
The current conflict escalated after Hezbollah fired rockets at Israel on March 2, following US and Israeli attacks on Iran. This came after 15 months of Israeli violations of the November 2024 ceasefire, which claimed the lives of hundreds of Lebanese civilians. Israel has since launched a ground invasion and carried out widespread attacks, displacing more than one million people.
A ceasefire intended to end the war took effect on April 17, but Israel continued its strikes and refused to withdraw from southern Lebanon.
In the interview, Trump also said that Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa—a former jihadist who has forged close ties with the United States—would "love to help" forge an agreement in the Lebanon conflict. "We can recommend Syria. Syria's doing a very good job of cleaning up their act. They have a very good leader," he said. "And he would love to help."
*This story was edited by Ahram Online.
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