Trump says Israel 'fighting Hezbollah too long' as Lebanon war drags on - analysis

Over the last few weeks, the American president has several times suggested that Israel shouldn’t be attacking Beirut because this is leading to tensions with Iran regarding a US-Iran deal.

Now, Trump is also saying that Israel has been fighting in Lebanon for too long. The conflict between Israel and Hezbollah has dragged on for 981 days since Hezbollah attacked Israel on October 8. Israel has not been able to defeat Hezbollah or achieve a decisive victory.

“Israel is fighting Hezbollah too long, and too many people are being killed,” President Trump said, according to a June 16 post on X/Twitter by Fox News Chief Foreign Correspondent Trey Yingst.

“You don’t have to knock down an apartment house every time you’re looking for somebody. There are a lot of people in those apartment houses, and they’re not all Hezbollah,” Trump went on to say.

Israel’s rapid victories back then were part of the doctrine of Israel's founders. Led by young generals such as Lt. Gen. Yitzhak Rabin, Uzi Narkiss, David Elazar, Yeshayahu Gavish, Ariel Sharon, and Israel Tal, Israel vanquished three armies in six days.

This was a decisive victory. Even in 1973, when Israel suffered an initial setback, the country quickly defeated the Egyptian and Syrian armies in two weeks of tough combat. When Israel launched the 1978 and 1982 invasions of Lebanon, the IDF covered more ground in 48 hours than it had covered in 982 days of fighting since 2023.

Trump likely remembers all these conflicts, and although he is not seen as a deep student of history in terms of being a major consumer of books, Trump has a keen memory for formative events. He is also a supporter of Israel.

However, Trump believes support of Israel also means doing what is in Israel’s interests, not just praising Israel and never telling its leaders “no.”

Trump can listen to Israeli media and statements by Israeli leaders vowing to “crush” Hezbollah. These kinds of statements are made every month. Yet Hezbollah remains.

Trump said, according to Yingst’s post, that he doesn’t like the recent Israeli strikes on Beirut.

“If Israel can’t do the job without killing everyone else, he’ll do the job, Syria will do the job…Bibi has to be more responsible with respect to Lebanon. I’m not happy with the way Israel has handled themselves with Lebanon, and with Hezbollah. Israel would have been blown up a long time ago, had I not gotten involved.”

This isn’t the first time Trump has appeared to tire of Israel’s long wars. He also got tired of the war in Gaza. When he came to office, a hostage deal was agreed. Israeli officials vowed not to go to phase two of the deal and instead cut off aid to Gaza in March 2025.

The Trump administration watched and listened to more boasts in Jerusalem about how Hamas would be defeated. By May, though, the IDF had only retaken areas it had already held before in Gaza.

The US became frustrated with the aid cut-off and backed the new GHF initiative. Still, throughout the summer, the IDF’s new offensive didn’t achieve a victory over Hamas.

By September, Israeli leaders were vowing to attack Gaza City, and a million people were evacuated, and Israel’s Defense Minister boasted about destroying high-rise buildings in Gaza. But Hamas remained.

Trump, frustrated by the lack of progress in Gaza, secured a hostage deal by working with the Arab countries and countries such as Turkey. The deal brought all the hostages home. In October, days after the deal came into effect, Jerusalem vowed to cut off aid again to Gaza in response to claims that Hamas was violating the ceasefire.

The White House made it clear that aid would not be cut off. Aid would not be used as a weapon anymore. This was an example of how the Trump administration didn’t appear keen on civilian suffering in Gaza. If Israel couldn’t win the war quickly with Hamas, then the war should stop.

The administration appeared to have the same view of the 12 Day War with Iran in June 2025. It helped end that conflict as well, with a ceasefire. This was the kind of short campaign Trump liked. It likely fueled a sense that a new round in February 2026 might also achieve quick results.

After the success the US had with removing president Nicholas Maduro in Venezuela, Trump was inclined to think that Israeli arguments in favor of a new conflict with Iran would pan out.

The whole story of the lead-up to the February attacks is not known, and many leaks have tried to portray different sides as being at fault for ideas such as pushing Kurds to launch an offensive. What is clear is that the White House is tired of the war dragging on and has wanted a deal.

The same thing has happened in Lebanon. The White House supported Israel's striking at Hezbollah.

However, fighting for the sake of fighting without a strategy doesn’t make sense to the Trump administration. It is known for asking “what are we doing and why are we doing it?” This is a key element of the Trump doctrine.

As such, there are questions about what Israel is doing in Lebanon. What is the point of more bombing of Beirut? What does it accomplish that 981 days of conflict didn’t accomplish?

Reports that Trump also pressured Israel not to carry out more strikes on Iran are part of the same pattern. What would a planned new strike have accomplished?

Trump is in Europe at Evian, France, where he is attending the G7 summit. Trump appears to want Israel to tone down strikes in Lebanon and also not rock the boat of a potential Iran deal.

Some assume that Iran won’t actually do a deal or that the IRGC in Iran will sabotage the deal anyway, making Israel’s pessimism appear correct. Then more strikes may follow.

However, Trump appears to want an Israeli policy that channels more of the 1967 generation and less of the long war concept that has taken hold since October 7. Trump’s language has become more critical of Israel, saying a recent attack was “vicious,” according to CBS.

Trump has often been attuned to civilian suffering in war. He and members of the administration didn’t like to see the suffering in Gaza, and they don’t like it in Lebanon. “Too many people are being killed, and you don’t have to knock down an apartment house every time you’re looking for somebody,” is an important point for the American president to make.

Israel has precision weapons capable of destroying individual apartments. Trump knows this. He has appeared to become more critical of the current Israeli policy of razing whole areas and also attacking high-rises.

The attacks on buildings didn’t defeat Hamas or Hezbollah. Trump appears to think that rapid wars, such as the 1967 war, where one goes around civilian urban areas rather than destroying them, are a more effective method of war.

Israeli politicians also want a return to the era when Israel won fast wars rather than wars dragging on for years, with the enemy still holding on in Gaza and Lebanon.

Former prime minister Naftali Bennett recently vowed “a return to the security concept of fast, strong, and decisive wars.” Rather than wars that drag on, he says that Israel can do better. Trump appears to agree.