Syria President Rejects Claims of Intervention in Lebanon Following Trump Remarks

DAMASCUS — Syrian President Ahmed Al‑Sharaa denied on Sunday that his country seeks to intervene militarily in Lebanon, where Israel and Hezbollah are at war, after US President Donald Trump repeatedly suggested Damascus could get involved.

“We are looking for economic channels between Lebanon and Syria, not military ones,” Sharaa said in an interview with Al Mashhad television.

Trump told Fox News on Sunday he was “disappointed Israel can’t put Hezbollah away,” adding: “I’m close to giving it over to Syria.” At the G7 summit earlier in the week, Trump had also said that if Israel could not handle Hezbollah without mass civilian casualties, “Syria will do the job.”

Hezbollah drew Lebanon into the wider Middle East war on March 2 with rocket fire at Israel, following the killing of Iran’s supreme leader in US‑Israeli strikes. Israel responded with airstrikes and a ground invasion. A US‑Iran deal signed this week includes Lebanon, where fighting has paused since Saturday.

Sharaa said Syria had proposed to Washington that “the war must stop,” adding that solutions should include economic, political, and social measures, alongside security arrangements addressing the concerns of all parties.

Hezbollah fought alongside former Syrian ruler Bashar Assad during Syria’s civil war, making the current Syrian leadership, which toppled Assad in 2024, deeply hostile to the group. Syria had dominated Lebanon for decades following its military intervention in the 1975‑1990 civil war, withdrawing in 2005.

“Syria is greatly concerned with Lebanon’s domestic situation because Lebanon’s security and stability are part of Syria’s security and stability,” Sharaa said. Asked whether he would sit at the table with Hezbollah, he replied: “If this serves Lebanon’s interests and safeguards Syria’s interests, why not?”

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