‘I get problems solved real fast, including with Bibi’: Trump on Lebanon standoff

WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump on Monday (local time) said that he will get “problems solved real fast” with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after the latter refused to remove the forces from southern Lebanon, despite the ongoing US-Iran peace talks.

When asked how he would ensure that the Israeli PM doesn’t sabotage the negotiations regarding the 14-point MoU, Trump refused to inform his plan but recognised himself as a “problem solver”. “I’m not going to tell you what I’m going to do, but it gets solved. I’m a problem solver. I get problems solved real fast, including with Bibi,” Trump told reporters.

Asked about Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s statement that Israeli forces will not leave Lebanon, President Trump declined to say how he would respond.

“I’m not going to tell you what I’m going to do, but it gets solved. I’m a problem solver. I get problems solved… pic.twitter.com/OGDOI9GWaP

— CBS News (@CBSNews) June 22, 2026

President Trump’s statement comes in light of Benjamin Netanyahu’s statement yesterday that Israeli forces will continue to remain in Lebanon.

Addressing the Jerusalem News Syndicate’s International Policy Summit 2026, Netanyahu disregarded the US-Iran MoU and reaffirmed his resolve to protect his nation and citizens, asserting that the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) will remain in the security zone in southern Lebanon, even as the quadilateral meeting in Switzerland agreed to form a “de-confliction zone” to cease the hostilities in Lebanon.

“No matter what happens in the talks, with an agreement, without an agreement, I pledge to you that Iran, as long as I’m Prime Minister, will never have a nuclear weapon. Never. As long as I am the Prime Minister of Israel, I will not let that happen. As long as we need to protect our people, we will remain in the security zone in South Lebanon. No country would be asked to do otherwise,” he said. Furthermore, he asserted that the US would also go leaps and bounds to protect its country.

“Now you imagine the United States across the border. You have thousands, an army of thousands of terrorists who pellet your cities and your towns with rockets and ballistic missiles and killer drones. They kill your soldiers, they kill your citizens, they kill your children and they threaten them every day. Well, what would America do? Would it say, well, there’s nothing we can do. Let’s hold our fire. Is that what America would say? No. You know well what America would do. It would cross the border, create a security zone, kill the terrorists and protect its people until the threat is removed. That’s exactly what we are doing,” he said.

Additionally, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has pushed back against assertions that he or US President Donald Trump take directives from one another, following remarks from the American leader suggesting Israel follows his commands in West Asia.

This diplomatic friction arises amid growing discord between Washington and Jerusalem concerning Israel’s ongoing military campaign in Lebanon. Trump has cautioned that these actions threaten to destabilise the memorandum of understanding established with Iran last week following extensive diplomatic efforts. (ANI)