As the White House has soured on Israel’s war with Hezbollah in Lebanon, U.S. President Donald Trump proposed an alternative: that Syria fight the Iran-backed militant group instead.
He suggested that the battle-hardened and Islamist-led insurgents who overthrew Syria’s autocratic President Bashar Assad a year and a half ago and formed a new government would be more effective at rooting out Hezbollah than the Israeli army.
Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa stated he has no interest in this action, asserting that Trump’s comments were misinterpreted. However, Trump maintained his position.
While the seriousness of the White House's proposal remains unclear, the possibility of a Syrian invasion has caused alarm in Lebanon and Israel, which views al-Sharaa’s Islamist-led government with suspicion and controls a section of southern Syria since its ascension to power.
Syria is also experiencing escalating tensions between Israel and Turkey—a primary supporter of al-Sharaa’s administration—as both nations seek to limit the other's influence in the neighboring country.
Top Israeli security officials held a meeting regarding this matter on Wednesday, according to an official who requested anonymity because they were not authorized to speak with the media.
Trump claims Syria would 'do a better job' against Hezbollah
On the sidelines of the G7 summit earlier this month, Trump criticized Israel’s protracted war with Hezbollah, stating that "too many people are being killed."
Since Hezbollah joined the broader Iran conflict with an Israeli attack on March 2, over 4,000 individuals have been killed by Israeli strikes in Lebanon, including hundreds of women and children. Israel maintains its strikes target Hezbollah and asserts it implements measures to protect civilians.
Trump stated, “You don’t have to knock down an apartment house every time you’re looking for somebody, because there are a lot of people in those apartment houses and they’re not all Hezbollah.” He added, “I suggested to Israel to let Syria take care of Hezbollah. ‘Cause to be honest with you, I think they’d do a better job.”
Days later, during U.S.-Iran talks in Switzerland, Fox News' Trey Yingst reported that Trump had expressed disappointment over Israel’s inability to "put Hezbollah away" and mentioned he was "close to giving it to Syria" because he believed al-Sharaa would be more precise.
The White House declined to comment on the matter, referring instead to Trump’s prior statements.
Syria denies plans for Lebanese intervention
Syrian officials worked to manage the fallout from the comments.
In a speech in Damascus on June 13, al-Sharaa stated, “There are people spreading rumors that Syria will intervene in Lebanon. This is not true. We are calling for a permanent end to the war and the strengthening of institutions and for there to be economic ties and a calming of the situation in Lebanon.”
In a June 21 interview with the Emirati network Al Mashhad, al-Sharaa clarified that Trump’s remarks had been misunderstood.
Al-Sharaa explained, “Trump ‘spoke about Syria’s role in finding a safe and peaceful solution, but the statement was misinterpreted as if Syria were going to invade Lebanon tomorrow morning.’” He added that Syria had “presented our vision for a solution to the United States, which is to stop the war and address the negative effects on Lebanon and Syria, and to find different economic, political and social solutions.”
Syrian leaders state they do not wish to settle scores with Hezbollah
Hezbollah, along with Iran, supported Assad during Syria’s 14-year civil war, while al-Sharaa led an insurgent group aiming to overthrow him.
However, the new leadership in Damascus has indicated since taking power in December 2024 that their focus is on national reconstruction, they are not seeking retribution, and they wish to remain uninvolved in regional conflicts.
After Israel and the U.S. initiated war against Iran—which sparked a wider regional conflict—Syria deliberately remained on the sidelines.
In the initial weeks of the war, the Syrian military deployed reinforcements to the border with Lebanon, which officials said was intended to prevent cross-border weapons smuggling or any spillover of the fighting. At one point in March, Syria accused Hezbollah of firing artillery shells across the border toward Syrian army positions, an accusation Hezbollah denied. The escalation ceased there.
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan informed The Associated Press in March that Turkey had intervened to de-escalate tensions.
Al-Sharaa told Al Mashhad that “(Hezbollah)’s decision to enter into the Syrian conflict was wrong,” but he expressed willingness to hold a “dialogue” with the militant group and even mediate between various Lebanese factions as they debate Hezbollah’s future weaponry.
Trump's suggestion raises sectarian fears and memories of occupation
In March, U.S. envoy to Syria Tom Barrack refuted reports that Washington had floated the idea of Syrian intervention against Hezbollah.
However, Trump has since begun voicing this call openly.
Randa Slim, director of the Middle East Program at the Washington-based Stimson Center, commented that Trump’s proposal is, “at best, driven by a profound ignorance of the dynamics on the ground.”
She stated, “Syria needs to focus on a myriad of complex and daunting challenges — not least rebuilding a shattered country and repatriating millions of refugees.” She further noted, “Syrian forces are far from a coherent military institution; they include thousands of foreign jihadi fighters of uncertain loyalty and discipline.”
In the months following Assad’s fall in Syria, several outbreaks of violence occurred between groups loyal to and opposed to al-Sharaa, which devolved into sectarian revenge attacks. In these incidents, Sunni Islamist fighters affiliated with the new government attacked Alawite and Druze civilians. These attacks fueled fears of cross-border violence among Lebanon's Shiite, Christian, and Druze populations.
Many Lebanese also harbor painful memories of the decades of Syrian occupation of Lebanon, which began during the Lebanese civil war—initially at the request of Lebanese authorities and with backing from Arab states—and concluded in 2005.
The official who spoke anonymously indicated that Israel is also concerned about signs suggesting Syria might resume its former role in Lebanese politics. However, the official added that while Israel is closely monitoring developments between Syria and Lebanon, its primary concern remains Hezbollah.