Trump 'smart Hezbollah' comments infuriate WH, widen bipartisan rift
2 Min Read
US President Joe Biden reiterates US' unwavering support for the Israeli occupation and condemns Trump's comments regarding Hezbollah as "very smart".
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President Joe Biden listens at the White House on Sept. 25, 2023. (AP)
US President Joe Biden strongly criticized Donald Trump for his description of Hezbollah as "very smart" about the Resistance's actions against Israeli aggression along Lebanon's southern border
At a Club 47 USA event in West Palm Beach, Florida, on Thursday, Trump also discussed President Joe Biden's "security people" and "national defense people" in the context of the Israeli aggression on Gaza.
"I hope Hezbollah doesn't attack from the North because that's the most vulnerable spot... so the following morning they attack," Trump said, adding, "If you listen to this jerk, you would attack from the North because he said that's our weak spot".
However, it is not clear who he was referring to as "jerk".
In a post on X, Biden firmly stated that "our nation's support for Israel is resolute and unwavering. And the right time to praise the terrorists who seek to destroy them is never."
trump: "Hezbollah's very smart. They're all very smart."
— Rashid Raheem (@rashidraheem531) October 12, 2023
President Biden: "Our nation’s support for Israel is resolute and unwavering. And the right time to praise the terrorists who seek to destroy them is never."#bbtvi#Israel #อิสราเอล #غزة_تحت_القصف #Debate2023… pic.twitter.com/I1fdH3r7Vj
In the same context, the White House on Thursday condemned Trump's comments regarding the war on Gaza as "dangerous and unhinged."
"We don't comment on 2024. Statements like this are dangerous and unhinged. It's completely lost on us why any American would ever praise an Iran-backed terrorist organization as 'smart.' Or have any objection to the United States warning terrorists not to attack Israel," spokesperson Andrew Bates said in a social media post.
Bates emphasized the importance of continuing to support "Israel" as it confronts what he called "one of the worst acts of mass murder in the country's history."
"That's what the President is doing as commander in chief," Bates stated.
Read more: Israeli security official: incident in the north is a 'game-changer'
![In a 2021 interview with Frontline by former US special representative James Jeffrey, he says he had "engaged with [HTS] via backchannels while serving in President Trump’s State Department. (Al Mayadeen English; Illustrated by Batoul Chamas)](https://alpha-en-media.almayadeen.net/media/image/2024/12/21/b4a69f2e-8682-43e4-9d37-49482b304ab3/3.png?v=2&format=webp "In a 2021 interview with Frontline by former US special representative James Jeffrey, he says he had \"engaged with [HTS] via backchannels while serving in President Trump’s State Department. (Al Mayadeen English; Illustrated by Batoul Chamas)")
