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Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa is currently unwilling to launch a military campaign against Hezbollah in Lebanon, despite recent remarks by United States President Trump suggesting that Damascus could intervene against the group, Israel’s public broadcaster Kan 11 reported on June 16.
A Syrian source told the broadcaster that Sharaa fears that direct military action against Hezbollah would be viewed across the Arab world as serving Israeli interests, potentially undermining Syria’s regional legitimacy.
The source added that Damascus will not get involved against Hezbollah as long as Israeli forces remain deployed in parts of southern Syria captured following the collapse of Bashar al-Assad’s regime.
Syria reportedly considers an Israeli withdrawal from those areas a key prerequisite before reconsidering its position, which means that it is not completely against the idea.
Earlier in the day, Trump said that the Syrian president would more effectively lead the fight against Hezbollah in Lebanon than Israel.
In remarks at the G7 summit of global leaders in France, Trump said of Sharaa, “He’s very capable. And he’s been very good for me. He’s protected everything that I’ve asked for… And if Israel can’t do the job without killing everyone else, he’ll do the job. Syria will do the job.”
This was not the first time the U.S. president has suggested that Syria could get involved against Hezbollah. In a previous interview with NBC, Trump praised Sharaa and said he is willing and capable of helping deal with the group.
Responding to Trump’s earlier remarks at the time, Sharaa outright denied that Syria is planning to intervene against Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Hezbollah was a close ally to Assad, who was overthrown more than a year ago by a coalition of rebels led by none other than Sharaa himself.
Syria’s cautious approach has reportedly been reinforced by Turkey, according to Kan 11, which reported that Ankara has conveyed messages to Syrian officials urging them to avoid direct confrontation with Hezbollah, fearing that such a move could further strengthen Israel’s strategic position in the region.
The broadcaster also revealed that Trump has already proposed a framework in which the Syrian military would play a central role in a future effort to disarm Hezbollah.
The proposal, however, has reportedly faced skepticism from multiple sides. Israeli officials have questioned Syria’s ability to effectively confront Hezbollah, while Lebanese authorities oppose the presence of foreign troops operating within the country.
Iran, the main backer of Hezbollah, has so far remained silent over the issue, but it is guaranteed that the Islamic Republic will not tolerate any such move by Syria.
While Sharaa is clearly against getting involved in Lebanon, he is certainly in no position to refuse a direct demand from Trump.
Hezbollah will resist any offensive from Syria, and the confrontation will likely escalate quickly to a sectarian-charged regional war, possibly with Iranian strikes on Damascus, and a counteroffensive from Iraq by the Islamic Republic’s allies there. Such a scenario may be exactly what the U.S. and Israel are looking for to make up for their recent military failure against Tehran.
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i hope that when lebanese villages and cities burn, hezbollah will remember the ass ad and putler pig and this pussia.
i hope they understand that what they did in march 2025 was not nice. and hts was a fair price for his betrayal.