Trump threatens to bomb Iran if it doesn't stop Hezbollah from 'causing trouble'

U.S. President Donald Trump said Sunday in a surprising statement that "Iran must immediately stop their highly paid PROXIES in Lebanon from causing trouble," apparently referring to Iran-backed Hezbollah.

"If they don’t, we’ll hit Iran very hard again, just like we did last week, only harder!!!" Trump added, in a post on his Truth Social network.

His warning came after the much-anticipated U.S.-Iranian talks kicked off in Switzerland and after Israel and Hezbollah stopped trading fire in south Lebanon, allowing cautious calm to prevail for the first time since March 2.

And in remarks to Fox News, Trump said he is "disappointed Israel can't put Hezbollah away."

"They can't do anything without knocking buildings down," Trump added, noting that he is "close to" asking Syria to handle Hezbollah's file.

At the outset of U.S.-Iran talks in Switzerland on Sunday, U.S. Vice President JD Vance said he had seen "great progress in the last just couple of days in ensuring that the ceasefire holds in Lebanon."

"We're all working towards regional peace," he said. "I actually feel great about where we are in Lebanon. There's still some additional wood to chop but we're going to keep on working at it."

Vance asserted that Trump and the United States had done more to stop the conflict in Lebanon than any other country in recent months.