On Sunday evening, Syrian leader Al-Jolani rejected a reported U.S. idea, linked to Donald Trump, that Syria should take responsibility for disarming Hezbollah in Lebanon instead of Israel. The proposal was described as one of Trump’s efforts to curb Israeli attacks on Hezbollah in Lebanon by shifting the task to Damascus.
In an interview with the Al-Mashhad channel, Al-Jolani said, “We only wish good for the people of Lebanon, and the role Syria will play is a completely positive role. Syria may help in disarming Hezbollah, but not through war and not through Syrian patronage over Lebanon, as it was under the previous regime.”
Earlier in the day, Trump again threatened Iran over Hezbollah-linked activity. In a post on his social network, he wrote that Tehran must immediately stop its regional proxies or face another American strike. “Iran must immediately stop the proxies in Lebanon, the highly paid ones, from causing trouble. If they do not, we will strike Iran again very hard, exactly as we did last week, only harder!!!” he wrote.
The warnings come as a new round of U.S.-Iran talks continues in Switzerland. The negotiations remain complicated by disputes over Iran’s nuclear program, sanctions, and the activity of Iranian proxy forces across the region, all of which are still obstructing a possible agreement.
