Trump insists Iran deal will open Strait of Hormuz 'toll-free' as he meets world leaders

President Trump’s comments about Israel are among his most outspoken yet, showing the extent of his current angry spat with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

On several occasions as Trump has moved closer to diplomacy with Iran, the Israeli leader has escalated in Lebanon - Israel says this is in response to drone or missile fire by Hezbollah.

But Trump described the Israeli strike on Beirut this weekend - just as he was on the verge of a deal with Tehran - as "vicious".

He diminished the importance of the Israel-Hezbollah conflict, called on Netanyahu to be more responsible and appeared to accuse him of using disproportionate force.

"You don't have to knock down an apartment house every time you're looking for somebody," Trump said. "If Israel can't do the job without killing everyone else... Syria will do the job," he said, referring to the Syrian president Ahmed al-Sharaa.

Trump suggested al-Sharaa had, unlike Netanyahu, dealt with Hezbollah more quickly in Syria.

Al-Sharaa is a former Sunni jihadist militant now leading Syria with Western backing, who Trump appeared to be suggesting to lead a fight against Hezbollah in Lebanon. This was another remarkable comment, given Lebanon’s sectarian fragility and history of civil conflict aggravated by past Syrian intervention.

As for Netanyahu, he is again likely to brush off Trump’s latest reprimand - he will point to him also saying the pair had an "unbelievable relationship".

But the president’s readiness to publicly excoriate his ally is becoming more pointed as he feels Netanyahu has threatened his ability to extricate himself from the war on Iran.

It also highlights the deepening backlash within a faction of Trump’s MAGA movement against traditional Republican support for Israel.