Trump says Hezbollah 'rapidly being eliminated'
U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday reiterated that Hezbollah is a "big problem," while noting that "they're rapidly being eliminated" in the ongoing war with Israel.
"Hezbollah is a problem. It's been a problem for a long time, not just now," Trump said in response to a reporter's question.
The U.S. president also explained that there are safe areas in Lebanon where Hezbollah is not present.
"And it's a certain area, because I was the other night with a person whose parents live in Lebanon. This is a very substantial person, a wealthy person," Trump said.
"I said really! How do you live in Lebanon, your parents are living? (He said) 'oh yeah, they live there, and over the years they've gotten used to the fact that it is being bombed. But they explain to me that it's really a different section of Lebanon. It's a section where Hezbollah is.' And they get used to it I guess," the U.S. leader added.
"I don't know. I mean people live in Ukraine. You would think they wouldn't live in Ukraine, but they live in Ukraine. I don't know if I'd do that, but people live in Ukraine, they live in Lebanon," he went on to say.
16 March 2026, 23:33
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Trump's confusing statements are deliberate. Israel uses its hold on him to confuse matters, which has always been Israel's own diplomatic strategy. Trump probably tells himself that if this all comes undone he can claim he was mentally ill at the time.
As to Israel invading Lebanon again, if its plan is to kill anybody who might be a threat (to avoid the humiliation Hezbullah gave it the last time) since there has been no real outcry against its killing eight hundred or so people in Lebanon recently, its real problem will be the overseas Jewish people who prop up Israel through their influence in their countries, such as the New York Times and other mass media. I'm waiting for the NYT to mention Lebanon on its website's front page. It's creeping up on that milestone. Or Bibi might honestly believe he and his gangsters can go it alone. Or he might not believe anything honestly.
