Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa responded on Sunday to repeated comments by U.S. President Donald Trump, who said he was disappointed with how Israel is dealing with Hezbollah and was considering letting Syria “handle it.” Al-Sharaa said Trump had expressed concern about Lebanon and wanted to stop the war there, and had spoken about Syria’s role in finding a secure solution, but that the remarks were misread as meaning Syria was about to invade Lebanon on Monday morning.
“Syria is very concerned about Lebanon’s security and stability because it is linked to Syria’s own security and stability,” al-Sharaa said. He added that polarization inside Lebanon had narrowed the chances for solutions, and that any country with armed forces outside state control cannot build or develop. “We extend our hand every day to the Lebanese, to help them find a solution,” he said.
Al-Sharaa said Syria has a deep problem with Hezbollah, but does not want all of Lebanon to die. “The country cannot remain trapped between civil war and war with Israel,” he said, adding that Lebanon’s Shiites need calm, not more fear and confrontation. He said he would sit with Hezbollah if it served both Syrian and Lebanese interests, and that a real peace with Israel requires objective conditions because Hezbollah strips the Lebanese state of authority over war and peace.
Trump first made the comments at the G7 summit five days ago, when asked whether the Iran deal could survive even if Israel attacked Lebanon. He said he viewed the conflict as a “small war” compared with Iran, argued that Hezbollah keeps reappearing as a problem, and said he had suggested Israel let Syria deal with the group. Trump also said he helped bring al-Sharaa to power together with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and others, praised him for uniting Syria and being tough on Hezbollah, and criticized Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after a strike in Beirut’s Dahieh hours before a deal was to be finalized. Trump repeated on Fox News that he was frustrated Israel could not dislodge Hezbollah and said he was close to empowering al-Sharaa to enter southern Lebanon and fight the group.
