U.S. President Donald Trump’s renewed idea that Syria should take on Hezbollah in Lebanon, on the grounds that Damascus could do it more “surgically” and effectively than Israel, has been rejected across Lebanon, especially by Christian leaders. The backlash centers on memories of Syria’s long occupation and fears of the new Islamist-leaning rulers in Damascus.
Samir Geagea, head of the Lebanese Forces, said flatly, “No one agrees with what Trump suggested regarding the entry of Syrian forces into Lebanon to solve the Hezbollah problem.” He added that the proposal has no Lebanese, Arab, or international backing. The Christian Kataeb Party also issued a statement rejecting any Syrian intervention, while welcoming Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa’s position that he has no intention of intervening militarily.
The opposition is rooted in Lebanon’s history. Syrian troops entered in May 1976 during the civil war, initially under the Arab Deterrent Force label, and remained until April 2005. What began as a supposed peacekeeping mission became, in the Christians’ view, a full occupation under Hafez Assad and then Bashar Assad, with Syrian intelligence dominating public life, tens of thousands disappearing into Syrian prisons, and estimates of more than 30,000 forced disappearances and 30,000 to 65,000 deaths.
Christian leaders also recall political assassinations, including the killing of elected president Bachir Gemayel days after his 1982 victory. They say Syria turned Lebanon into a satellite of Damascus, controlled its economy and borders, and never truly left by choice. After the 2005 assassination of Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, which was blamed on Syria and Hezbollah, the Cedar Revolution brought mass protests and forced the final Syrian withdrawal. Today, Lebanese Christian factions warn that any Syrian military role could trigger panic or massacres and might even strengthen Hezbollah rather than weaken it.
