Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu convened a special meeting on Wednesday evening after U.S. President Donald Trump said Syria should deal with Lebanon, raising concern in Jerusalem that forces loyal to Ahmed al-Sharaa could be deployed there. The discussion came amid Israeli anxiety over Trump’s comments about letting Syria take on Hezbollah.
Two days earlier, after Trump said he was “close to letting Syria take care of Hezbollah,” Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa responded in an interview that Trump’s remarks had been misunderstood as meaning Syrian forces would enter Lebanon immediately. He said Syria could have “a positive role” through Lebanon’s institutions and the Lebanese state, but stressed that the situation called for shared solutions and that this would not mean war or a return to the Assad-era policy in Lebanon.
Al-Sharaa added, “I do not want Syria to play a negative role in Lebanon,” and said his country was seeking economic ties with Lebanon rather than military ones. Asked whether he would speak with Hezbollah, he said he believes in dialogue even with adversaries, adding that Syria has a problem with the group but wants Lebanon to live.
On the possibility of peace between Lebanon, Syria and Israel, al-Sharaa said any agreement would need prior steps and enforceable commitments. A day earlier, Trump told Fox News, “I am close to letting Syria handle Hezbollah; Israel cannot do it without collapsing buildings.” In a post on TRUTH, he also wrote that Iran must stop Hezbollah from “causing trouble,” or the United States would hit Iran “very hard” again.
