Donald Trump: 'You know, Hezbollah is very smart'

Former US President Donald Trump has openly commended the strategic acumen of the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah. Speaking to supporters in Florida, Trump, a frontrunner for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, said: "You know, Hezbollah is very smart,” Trump said. "They’re all very smart."
Trump also criticized Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's response to the recent attack by Hamas militants, which claimed the lives of over 1,300 people in Israel and led to the capture of dozens. Trump claimed that Netanyahu and Israel were unprepared for the assault.
"He was not prepared. He was not prepared and Israel was not prepared. And under Trump, they wouldn't have had to be prepared," Trump said in an interview to Fox News.
During his Florida rally, Trump expressed his support for Israel, assuring the crowd that his prayers were with the country and reiterating his commitment to stand by Israel and assist in efforts to dismantle Hamas. However, he then proceeded to recount an undisclosed incident involving Israel's leaders.

He revealed, "Israel was supposed to be part of this operation with us. We had been planning and coordinating for months to eliminate Gen. Qassem Soleimani, the head of Iran’s Quds Force." Trump detailed how everything was in place, but the night before the operation, he received a call informing him that Israel had opted out of the attack.
"This is a story no one has heard before," Trump stated emphatically. "They never provided us with a reason."

"I will never forget that Bibi Netanyahu disappointed us," he continued.
Expressing disappointment, he added, "We were deeply let down by that decision. However, we successfully executed the mission ourselves with absolute precision... and then Bibi attempted to claim credit for it."
White House spokesman Andrew Bates condemned the former US President's remarks as "reckless and unhinged," while many Republican adversaries of Trump criticized him for disparaging a key American ally during a moment of crisis.
Israeli communications minister Shlomo Karhi expressed his lack of confidence in Trump's statements, saying that they revealed he could not be trusted.
"It is disgraceful for a former US president to endorse propaganda and spread information that demoralizes the spirit of Israel's fighters and its citizens," Karhi said to Israel's Channel 13.
(With inputs from inputs)