US President Donald Trump speaks at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland on June 19 after touring the newly designated presidential aircraft Air Force One. [AP]
US President Donald Trump speaks at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland on June 19 after touring the newly designated presidential aircraft Air Force One. [AP]

President Donald Trump warned Sunday that the United States would strike Iran again, and with greater force, if Tehran fails to rein in the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah.

Writing on his Truth Social platform, Trump said Iran "must immediately stop its heavily funded Lebanon proxy (Hezbollah) from causing trouble," adding that otherwise "we will hit Iran again, very hard, just like we did last week, and it will be even harder."

The reference to Lebanon's "proxy" was widely understood to mean Hezbollah. The group was originally formed to resist Israeli forces operating in southern Lebanon and has since grown into a major armed faction backed by Iran. It also wields political influence through elections and is considered part of Iran's broader network of regional proxies, alongside Yemen's Houthi rebels, Hamas in Gaza and Shiite militias in Iraq.

Trump had previously urged Israel to show restraint in Lebanon, but now appears to have shifted his pressure toward Iran, demanding that Tehran curb Hezbollah directly. Israel has continued to strike southern Lebanon even after reaching a truce with the Lebanese government, arguing that its targets are Hezbollah fighters rather than the Lebanese military. As those strikes threatened to derail end-of-war negotiations with Iran, Trump held multiple calls with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu urging restraint — without success. He ultimately appears to have changed tack, pressing Iran instead to hold Hezbollah back.


kate01@heraldcorp.com