Israel launches fresh strikes on Lebanon despite Trump criticism

(BBC News) Israeli forces have carried out new strikes in southern Lebanon, state media say, despite renewed criticism from US President Donald Trump of Israel’s actions in the country.

Israeli drone strikes injured several people in Mansouri and Aaziyyeh on Wednesday, while jets attacked Nabatieh al-Fawqa and Kfar Tebnit, Lebanon’s National News Agency reported. Israel’s military has not commented, but it did say five soldiers were injured in a drone attack in Lebanon by the Iran-backed armed group Hezbollah.

Mediator Pakistan has said the deal between the US and Iran to end the war includes Lebanon.

On Tuesday, Trump said Israel’s prime minister needed “to be more responsible with respect to Lebanon”.

Speaking at the G7 summit in France, he also said that Israel had been fighting Hezbollah for “too long and too many people are being killed”.

Israel and Hezbollah have carried out attacks against each other since the US-Iran agreement was announced on Sunday night.

Earlier that day, an Israeli air strike on Beirut in response to a cross-border rocket attack by Hezbollah had put pressure on attempts to finalise the deal.

Trump told the G7 that he had a “great relationship” with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, but said he “didn’t like that he did an attack… that was too much”.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c7vyn17g832o