President Trump has suggested that Syria's new government could do a better job than Israel of confronting Hezbollah in Lebanon — a proposal that has drawn quick rejection from Damascus and skepticism from analysts who call it a misreading of what Syria can and will do.
What Trump proposed
Speaking at the Group of Seven summit in mid-June, Trump voiced frustration with the length and cost of Israel's military campaign against Hezbollah and said Syria's government could take on the task with fewer civilian casualties, The Times of Israel reported. "You don't have to knock down an apartment house every time you're looking for somebody," he said, and indicated Washington could help Syria if it acted. The idea, as described, would have Syria either move against Hezbollah's supply routes or otherwise pressure the group, which is based in Lebanon.
Syria says no
Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa rejected the notion of intervening militarily in Lebanon. "There are people spreading rumors that Syria will intervene in Lebanon. This is not true," he said in mid-June, adding that Syria wanted "a permanent end to the war" and stronger institutions in Lebanon rather than a new front. In a later interview he said his remarks about a Syrian role had been misinterpreted "as if Syria were going to invade Lebanon tomorrow morning," and stressed political and economic approaches instead. Syria's government, in power since the fall of Bashar al-Assad in early 2025, is focused on reconstruction after nearly fourteen years of civil war.
Why analysts are skeptical
The proposal has puzzled regional experts. Jeffrey Feltman, a former U.S. ambassador to Lebanon, called it "preposterous," asking why Syria would succeed against Hezbollah where Israel, "with their superior intelligence, superior equipment, and overwhelming military force," has not, The National reported. Syria's own military remains fragmented, with thousands of foreign fighters of uncertain loyalty still in the country, according to an analysis in The Washington Times.
Any Syrian military presence in Lebanon would also revive memories of Syria's occupation of its neighbor from 1976 to 2005, a period that left deep distrust — particularly among Lebanese Christians and Druze. Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said he expected al-Sharaa to act responsibly and not "enter the Lebanese swamp."
The border reality
Syria's actual leverage over Hezbollah lies at the border, not on a battlefield. Damascus has moved to close smuggling tunnels and deployed forces to curb the flow of weapons across the frontier, and in March 2026 Lebanese and Syrian officials signed an agreement to demarcate their shared border and coordinate on security. Those limited steps are a far cry from the military campaign Trump floated.
The debate may in any case be overtaken by events on the ground: Trump announced in June that Israel and Hezbollah had agreed to halt fighting under a truce mediated by the United States, Qatar and others — a development that, if it holds, sidesteps the Syria question entirely.
