Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, also known as Abu Mohammad al-Jolani, said overnight between Sunday and Monday that Syria would help seek a solution to the Hezbollah issue in Lebanon, but would not enter Lebanon to fight the group. His remarks came after U.S. President Donald Trump suggested Syria should act against Hezbollah instead of Israel.
In an interview with a Gulf radio station, al-Sharaa said, "Syria can be relied upon in seeking a safe path to a solution, but that does not mean we will enter Lebanon to fight Hezbollah." He added, "Syria will fulfill its role through the Lebanese institutions and the Lebanese state." According to him, Syria should look for "other solutions" for Lebanon's Shiite population, and its role would be "entirely positive."
Al-Sharaa also said Hezbollah has begun to be viewed by some countries as an extension of the Iranian force, warning that "there is a very big danger" in that. His comments followed Trump’s renewed pressure on Iran and Hezbollah, including his claim that if they did not stop Hezbollah, the U.S. would "blow them away."
Last week, Trump said Syria should fight Hezbollah in Lebanon instead of Israel, saying that if Israel cannot do the job, al-Sharaa would do it better. On Monday night, Trump repeated the idea in a Fox News interview, saying he was disappointed that Israel could not "move" Hezbollah and that he was close to giving the task to Syria because he believed it would act more precisely.
