Syria rejects Trump's call for intervention in Lebanon

Syria has firmly rejected U.S. President Donald Trump's recent remarks suggesting Syrian intervention against Hezbollah in Lebanon. Damascus views its role as supporting the Lebanese state's exercise of authority, not engaging in military intervention. Ahmed Zeidan, media adviser to the Syrian president, stated exclusively to Asharq Al-Awsat that Syria has no intention of repeating its past military presence in Lebanon, which began in 1976.

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We view our role through supporting the Lebanese state's exercise of its authority.

Israel, meanwhile, has largely dismissed Trump's proposal as unserious and a political jab at Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government, which has struggled to conclude the conflict with Hezbollah without causing widespread destruction in Lebanon. While Tel Aviv is not concerned about an imminent Syrian military move, it views any such intervention as a potential expansion of Turkish influence. Israeli Diaspora Affairs Minister Amichai Chikli considers both Syria and Turkey to be greater concerns than Iran.

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Syria and Türkiye "pose a far greater concern than Iran."

Beirut has swiftly rejected any Syrian or foreign involvement in the Hezbollah situation, emphasizing that managing the issue is exclusively the responsibility of the Lebanese state and its institutions. Syrian officials, while rejecting intervention, have also called on Hezbollah to cease its involvement in Syria, whether through direct action or by supporting remnants of the former Syrian regime. Zeidan reiterated that Damascus remains open to all Lebanese groups and is focused on strengthening the Lebanese state's authority and sovereignty over its entire territory.

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We reaffirm once again that we see our role through supporting the Lebanese state's exercise of its authority.

Syrian officials describe their current approach toward Lebanon as enabling the state to exercise its authority and sovereignty, moving away from the mentality and practices of militias that have historically imposed a heavy cost on the region. This new strategy aims to bolster the Lebanese state's capacity to govern, a departure from the past interventions that characterized Syria's previous role in Lebanon.

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The new Syrian approach toward Lebanon is based on "enabling the state to exercise its authority and sovereignty over all Lebanese territory, far removed from the mentality and practices of militias, whose interventions have imposed a heavy cost on Lebanon, Syria and the region."