Trump: Without me there would be no Israel

US President Donald Trump has claimed, “Without me there would be no Israel.”

Speaking to the media at the G7 summit in France, President Trump appeared to criticise Israel’s ongoing military operations in Lebanon, suggesting that the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) have been fighting Hezbollah “for too long” and that “too many people are being killed.”

Commenting on his relationship with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Trump described it as “great,” but went on to criticise Netanyahu, stating that he “has to be more responsible with respect to Lebanon.”

The president also expressed disapproval of Israel’s recent attack on Beirut, which reportedly took place just “two hours” before the signing of an agreement with Iran. “I let them know that. I didn’t like that, not at all,” Trump said.

During a press briefing with Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani in France, Trump insisted that “no other president was willing to do what I did” in terms of supporting Israel.

He then made the bold claim: “Without me there would be no Israel, because no other president was willing to do what I did.”

Trump further addressed Israel’s conflict with Hezbollah in Lebanon, stating, “You don’t have to knock down an apartment house every time you’re looking for somebody, because there are a lot of people in those apartment houses—and they’re not all Hezbollah.”

He added, “I suggested to Israel to let Syria take care of Hezbollah because, to be honest with you, I think they’d do a better job.”

Defending his agreement with Iran, Trump said, “The only thing that really matters to me is Iran will never have a nuclear weapon, and it says it loud and clear.”

He warned that “all hell will rain down” on Iran if the regime acquires nuclear weapons.

In further controversial comments, Trump claimed he “never cared” about regime change in Iran and suggested that the current leaders in Tehran were “nice people to deal with.