In an interview with Fox News on Sunday, US President Donald Trump expressed his disappointment that Israel has been unable to “move” Hezbollah, according to Asharq Al-Awsat.
Trump’s Disappointment
Trump also repeated remarks he had made days earlier, voicing growing frustration with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over the ongoing conflict and hostilities with Hezbollah in Lebanon.
“They (Israelis) can’t do anything without knocking buildings down,” he said.
He further suggested that Syria’s leadership could be better in addressing the issue of the Iran-backed group.
“I am close to giving this to Syria because he (President Ahmed Al-Sharaa) would do a more precise job,” he said in terms of dealing with Hezbollah.
At the same time, Trump said that Tehran should immediately halt its support for well-funded proxy groups in Lebanon that are threatening the security and stability of the country.
“If they don’t, we’ll hit Iran very hard again, just like we did last week, only harder!” he wrote in a Truth Social post.
Urging Syria for a Role
In recent days, Trump has been repeatedly asked Al-Sharaa to push Syria to act against Hezbollah. However, Al-Sharaa said that Damascus had no plans to intervene in Lebanon. He even described the claims of Syrian intervention in Lebanon as “nothing more than rumors.”
“We view our role through supporting the Lebanese state’s exercise of its authority,” Ahmed Zeidan, media adviser to the Syrian president, recently told Asharq Al-Awsat in an exclusive statement.
Syrian Lebanese Relations
Syria, a longtime ally of Hezbollah under the Assad family, maintained a deep and strong presence in Lebanon for decades after intervening in its 1975-1990 civil war. In 2005, Syrian troops withdrew from the Lebanese territories. This historical fact makes any new military involvement politically sensitive.
Israeli Concerns
Meanwhile, Israel regards Trump’s suggestion as unrealistic and as a severe critique of Netanyahu’s government, which has so far failed to end the conflict with Hezbollah without causing massive destruction in Lebanon.
Despite the fact that Tel Aviv does not seem to be worried about an imminent Syrian military intervention in Lebanon, it believes that such a move would also signal an expansion of Turkish influence.
In this context, Israeli Diaspora Affairs Minister Amichai Chikli, said that Syria and Türkiye are considered “a far greater concern than Iran.”
No External Involvement
As for Lebanon, Beirut swiftly dismissed any Syrian or external involvement in tackling the Hezbollah issue, underscoring that it remains the exclusive responsibility of the Lebanese state and its institutions.
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