Israel strikes kill 4 in Lebanon as Trump publicly rebukes Netanyahu

US President Donald Trump publicly rebuked Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the G7 Summit in France on June 17 after fresh Israeli drone strikes in southern Lebanon killed four people.

Calling on Israel to act more responsibly, Trump criticized its military tactics in Lebanon and warned that continued attacks risked undermining efforts to preserve a broader regional peace.

Despite a US-backed peace arrangement aimed at ending hostilities across multiple fronts, fresh Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon killed at least four people, according to Lebanon's National News Agency (NNA).

The deaths were reported in separate drone attacks targeting two vehicles in the town of Mayfadoun, while a third strike hit the nearby town of Shoukin. The latest attacks have intensified regional tensions, prompting sharp criticism from US President Donald Trump and fresh warnings from Iran.

Iran warns of consequences

Iran accused Israel of violating the Lebanon ceasefire 84 times since the agreement was reached between Tehran and Washington. The Iranian leadership warned that continued attacks could trigger a "harsh response."

Earlier, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said the ceasefire could not be considered complete as long as Israeli forces remained in parts of southern Lebanon.

"Without the withdrawal of Israeli forces from the territories they occupied during this war, the war has not fully come to an end," Araghchi said.

In a phone conversation with Lebanon's Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, Iran's chief negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf called on the United States to pressure Israel to halt military operations in Lebanon, stop demolishing homes and withdraw from occupied Lebanese territory.

Trump criticizes Israel at G7 Summit

Speaking at the G7 Summit in France on June 17 , Trump publicly criticized Israel's military conduct in Lebanon and urged Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to act with greater restraint.

"Without us, without the United States, there would be no Israel. Without me, there would be no Israel, because no other president was willing to do what I did," Trump said.

He argued that large-scale bombardments were not necessary to target Hezbollah operatives and warned that such actions could have undermined his efforts to secure a peace deal with Iran.

Trump also said Israel's conflict with the Iran-backed Lebanese militia had continued for too long and resulted in excessive civilian casualties.

"Too many people have been killed. 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 said.