Syrian President Rejects Talk of Military Role Against Hezbollah

Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa said on Sunday that his country would not fight Hezbollah in Lebanon, after U.S. President Donald Trump said he was "close to letting Syria handle Hezbollah." Al-Sharaa said Trump’s remarks were misunderstood as if Syrian forces would enter Lebanon immediately, and insisted any Syrian role would be through Lebanon’s institutions and the Lebanese state.

He said it would be "a shame" for one country to rely on another to solve its problems, though he added that he himself has also sought help from several countries. According to al-Sharaa, the situation in Lebanon requires joint solutions, and Syria could be part of that, but "that does not mean war" and does not mean a return to the previous Syrian regime’s policy in Lebanon. He said Syria’s role should be support for the Lebanese state and Lebanese actors, including Hezbollah.

"I do not want Syria to play a negative role in Lebanon," al-Sharaa said, adding that the two countries are seeking economic, not military, ties. Asked whether he would hold contacts with Hezbollah, he said he believes in dialogue even with hostile actors. "We have a problem with the organization, but we want Lebanon to live," he said.

On the possibility of peace between Lebanon, Syria and Israel, al-Sharaa said any agreement would need prior steps and enforceable commitments, warning that a peace deal would be meaningless if rockets were launched afterward. Trump, in an interview with Fox News on Saturday, said, "I am close to letting Syria handle Hezbollah; Israel cannot do it without knocking down buildings." In a post on his TRUTH social network, he also said Iran must stop Hezbollah from causing trouble, or the U.S. would strike Iran "very hard" again.