McConnell "can't disagree more" with Trump comments on Hezbollah and Bibi
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Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) arrives to the U.S. Capitol on Oct. 5 Photo: Tom Williams/Getty Images
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) dismissed former President Trump calling Lebanon-based militant group Hezbollah "very smart" and criticizing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Why it matters: McConnell, whose relationship with Trump deteriorated at the end of his presidency, joined the White House and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis in criticizing the GOP presidential frontrunner's comments since the Gaza war began Oct. 7.
- "I can't disagree more," McConnell said during a Senate GOP leadership news conference Tuesday. "Hezbollah is a terrorist organization just like Hamas, funded by the same source as Hamas."
- The White House has considered using military force if Hezbollah joins the war in Gaza and attacks Israel, Axios reported first Tuesday, which would escalate the conflict by extending it to two fronts.
- The Israeli military has heavily bombarded Gaza City, including an airstrike that hit a hospital and killed hundreds on Tuesday.
Catch up quick: Days after Hamas launched a surprise attack against cities across Israel, Trump said at a rally on Oct. 11: "Hezbollah is very smart. They're all very smart."
Trump also said at another point in the speech that he had "a bad experience with Israel as president," criticizing Netanyahu for not participating in the U.S. drone strike that killed Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani in January 2020.
- "I'll never forget that Bibi Netanyahu let us down. That was a very terrible thing. We were very disappointed, but we did the job ourselves, and it was absolute precision, magnificent, beautiful job," Trump said.
- Responding to Trump's comments, Israeli communications minister Shlomo Karhi previously told Israel's Channel 13 that it's "shameful that a man like that, a former U.S. president, abets propaganda and disseminates things that wound the spirit of Israel's fighters and its citizens."
Between the lines: Trump has a record of praising the authoritarian rule of U.S. adversaries.
Details: McConnell during the conference referred to the "broader concern" of attacks on democracies exemplified by Russia's invasion of Ukraine, referring to Russia, North Korea, Iran and China as threats to democracy.
- He also called Netanyahu "one of the greatest leaders of modern times."
State of play: Since the Gaza war began Oct. 7, tensions between Israel and Hezbollah have been increasing, with daily skirmishes between the parties along the Israel-Lebanon border.
Go deeper: White House, DeSantis slam Trump for calling Hezbollah "very smart"
Editor's note: Axios' Zach Basu contributed reporting.
