Trump doubles down on possible Syrian intervention in Lebanon

US President Donald Trump has said that Ahmed Al-Sharaa ‘would be more precise than Israel’ in confronting Hezbollah Trump's suggestion that Syrian forces intervene against Hezbollah has been widely rejected in Syria [Getty] US President Donald Trump has once again suggested that Syria should take on Hezbollah in Lebanon, saying President Ahmed Al-Sharaa “would be more precise than Israel” in confronting the group and would do so without “knocking down buildings”. Speaking to Fox News on Tuesday, Trump was asked about a statement he made last month, in which he said that Syrian forces could fight Hezbollah. Sharaa at the time ruled out any intervention in Lebanon against the group. However, Trump doubled down on his suggestion regardless. “He would go in and take care of Hezbollah and he’d do it in a different way. He wouldn’t knock down buildings. I hated to see buildings knocked down.” When asked if he thought Sharaa would be more precise than Hezbollah, Trump replied, “I think he’d be more precise, yeah, and I can tell you I know he’d like to do it.” He said he was “thinking about” giving the Syrian president a “green light” to intervene in Lebanon against the group. Trump’s plan for intervention in Lebanon is unpopular in Syria however. Syrian observers have previously told The New Arab that it would be “stupid” to get involved in Lebanon, partly because of the sectarian dynamics involved. “There is no way the Syrian government is going to do that. You can criticise Ahmed al-Sharaa for lots of things, but he isn’t stupid, and you would have to be stupid to do what Trump is talking about,” Syrian author Robin Yassin-Kassab told The New Arab last month. Syrians are also exhausted by the years-long conflict in their country, which has destroyed much of its infrastructure. Hezbollah intervened in Syria during the conflict to support the regime of former dictator Bashar al-Assad, who was overthrown in December 2024. Trump’s remarks about possible Syrian intervention against Hezbollah follow reports that he asked Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to withdraw Israeli troops from Syria and Lebanon. According to Axios Trump spoke to Netanyahu on the phone last Thursday that the presence of Israeli troops on Syrian territory was creating tension and could lead to military escalation. "They don't want you there. You should redeploy," Trump said, according to a US official. Netanyahu however retorted that Israel needed “security zones” in Lebanon and Syria. After the 2024 overthrow of the Assad regime, Israel occupied areas of Syria beyond the Golan Heights and makes frequent incursions into Syrian towns and villages. Related Articles