Trump calls barrage of attacks in Lebanon ‘separate skirmish’

President Trump referred to the barrage of attacks in Lebanon as a “skirmish” on Wednesday as Israel intensified its attacks on the country in the hours following the U.S. and Iran reaching a fragile ceasefire deal.

In a phone interview with PBS Newshour, Trump said that Lebanon was not included in the ceasefire deal because of Hezbollah, an Iranian-backed militant group that operates in Lebanon.

“They were not included in the deal. That’ll get taken care of too. It’s alright,” the president told the outlet. 

When asked by PBS if he was okay with Israel continuing to hit Lebanon, Trump said “it’s part of the deal.”

“Everyone knows that,” he said. “That’s a separate skirmish.” 

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that the two-week ceasefire deal agreed to by the U.S. and Iran did not include Lebanon, though Iran and Pakistan insists that it does.

Israel launched its strongest strikes against Lebanon since the war began. According to Reuters, Israel’s military said it targeted over 100 Hezbollah command centers and military sites in the capital city of Beirut, the Bekka Valley, and the southern portion of the country. 

Reuters cited the Lebanese health ministry saying the strikes killed dozens and left hundreds of others wounded. A separate report from the Australian outlet ABC News cited the Lebanese Red Cross reporting that the death toll could be as high as 300. 

According to NBC News, over 1,500 people have died in Lebanon as a result of the conflict since it began. 

Lebanon’s Prime Minister Nawaf Salam condemned Israel’s attacks in a post on X on Wednesday, accusing the country of breaching international law. 

“While we welcomed the agreement between Iran and the United States of America, and intensified our efforts to reach an agreement for a ceasefire in Lebanon, Israel continues to expand its aggressions that have targeted densely populated residential neighborhoods, claiming the lives of unarmed civilians in various parts of Lebanon, particularly in the capital Beirut, heedless of all regional and international efforts to stop the war—not to mention its utter disregard for the principles of international law and international humanitarian law, which it has never respected in the first place,” Salam wrote.

“And all friends of Lebanon are called upon to help us stop these aggressions by all available means,” he said. 

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