Trump push for Syrian intervention against Hezbollah ‘short-sighted’

What the report says

Al Jazeera reports that US President Donald Trump again raised the idea of Syria intervening in Lebanon to confront Hezbollah during a White House appearance with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun on Tuesday. Trump suggested Syria’s new president, Ahmed al-Sharaa, could be “effective” against the Iran-backed group, which previously fought alongside Bashar al-Assad’s government before al-Sharaa-led forces removed Assad in 2024.

The proposal was met with caution from analysts cited by Al Jazeera, who described any Syrian military role in Lebanon as risky and potentially destabilizing. Bassel Doueik, a political and security researcher, said such an intervention could damage Syria’s relationship with Lebanon and allow Hezbollah to frame itself as defending Lebanese sovereignty. Nanar Hawach of the International Crisis Group warned that a Syrian return would revive memories of Syria’s decades-long military presence in Lebanon, which ended after protests in 2005.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio appeared to temper Trump’s remarks on Wednesday, saying Washington has encouraged Syria to focus on internal state-building. Rubio said Syria could instead help by securing its border with Lebanon to curb weapons flows, a view echoed by analysts who pointed to border control, action against smuggling tunnels and intelligence sharing as more plausible steps.

The debate comes amid continued pressure on Lebanon over Hezbollah’s arms and after Al Jazeera said the Lebanese army began deploying in pilot zones under a recent US-brokered Lebanon-Israel framework. Analysts warned that direct Syrian involvement could inflame sectarian tensions, strain Syria’s fragile transition and widen the regional conflict.