US President Donald Trump has publicly criticized the tactics that the Israeli military is using in Lebanon against the Shiite group "Hezbollah" and said that it is not necessary to bomb an entire apartment building to eliminate individual fighters, Reuters reported.
Trump, who in recent days expressed dissatisfaction with Israeli strikes on Beirut, warned that Israel could jeopardize its peace agreement with Iran and added that the fighting against "Hezbollah" has been going on "for too long".
"Too many people have been killed. You don't have to tear down an entire apartment building every time you look for someone, because there are a lot of people in those apartment buildings who are not Hezbollah at all, Trump explained at the G7 summit in France.
The US president made the comment at a time of heightened tensions between him and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The two leaders have remained key political allies over the years despite periodic ups and downs in their relationship. Tensions between Trump and Netanyahu have been visibly rising recently, Reuters notes.
Israeli officials have expressed disappointment with the framework agreement announced this week between Washington and Tehran, amid Trump's growing patience with Israel's strikes on Beirut. The Israeli military's actions have prompted retaliatory attacks from Iran as the US leader works to finalize a peace deal.
Trump said he has a "great relationship" with Netanyahu, but added that the Israeli prime minister should be "more responsible" in Lebanon. "Without us, without the United States, there would be no Israel. Without me, there would be no Israel, no other president has been willing to do what I have done," Trump said.
Trump and Netanyahu have repeatedly clashed over Israel's refusal to limit its military operations against Hezbollah in Lebanon. An end to hostilities in Lebanon is one of Iran's key demands.
There is no indication that Trump's remarks will translate into significant political action that would force Israel to rethink its military tactics and begin to better protect civilians, Reuters notes. Israel has also been sharply criticized by a number of countries for its offensive in the Gaza Strip, in which, according to Palestinian health authorities, more than 73,000 people, mostly civilians, have been killed.
Israel says it never attacks civilians and that armed groups such as "Hamas" and "Hezbollah" regularly use civilians as human shields.
Bulgaria and Lebanon established diplomatic relations on 19.09.1966. In 1967, our embassy was opened in Beirut, and in July 1983, an embassy of Lebanon was opened in Sofia. According to estimates by the Bulgarian embassy, between 300-400 Bulgarians reside in Lebanon, most of whom are wives of Lebanese citizens and their children.