Donald Trump says Syria should fight Hizbollah instead of Israel
President Donald Trump has publicly suggested Syria should take on Hezbollah rather than Israel, arguing Israel’s military actions in Lebanon have lasted too long and caused excessive civilian casualties. The proposal comes as Trump finalizes an Iran peace deal and attends the G7 summit. Regional leaders warn such a shift could worsen Lebanon’s instability. A US official previously denied reports Trump considered Syria invading Lebanon, but Trump now confirms discussions occurred.
What changed
Trump has explicitly stated Syria would 'do a better job' of fighting Hezbollah than Israel, confirming earlier denied reports of his proposal.
Live updates
-
Trump urges Syria to fight Hezbollah instead of Israel amid criticism of prolonged campaign
confidence 92%President Donald Trump has publicly suggested Syria should take on Hezbollah rather than Israel, arguing Israel’s military actions in Lebanon have lasted too long and caused excessive civilian casualties. The proposal comes as Trump finalizes an Iran peace deal and attends the G7 summit. Regional leaders warn such a shift could worsen Lebanon’s instability. A US official previously denied reports Trump considered Syria invading Lebanon, but Trump now confirms discussions occurred.
What's confirmed:
- President Donald Trump has said Israel’s military campaign against Hezbollah in Lebanon has lasted too long and caused too many civilian deaths.
- Trump has proposed Syria could more effectively fight Hezbollah than Israel, a stance he reiterated publicly.
- A senior US official initially denied reports that Trump had considered Syria invading Lebanon, but Trump later confirmed such discussions took place.
-
Trump urges Syria to replace Israel in fighting Hezbollah amid Lebanon war criticism
confidence 95%President Donald Trump has publicly criticized Israel’s prolonged military campaign against Hezbollah in Lebanon, suggesting Syria could handle the group more effectively. He has accused Israel of excessive civilian casualties and a lack of decisive progress, while proposing a shift in responsibility to Damascus. The remarks come as Trump finalizes an Iran peace deal and engages with world leaders at the G7 summit. Regional leaders and analysts warn such a proposal could destabilize Lebanon further.
What's confirmed:
- President Trump stated Syria would do a ‘better job’ than Israel of ‘taking care of’ Hezbollah, urging a shift in responsibility during remarks at the G7 summit.
- Trump criticized Israel’s Lebanon campaign as ‘too long’ and ‘too deadly,’ explicitly mentioning civilian casualties in his comments.
- The proposal follows Trump’s acknowledgment of displeasure with Israel’s weekend strikes in Lebanon, which occurred as he finalized a peace deal with Iran.
- Trump has raised the idea of Syria handling Hezbollah twice in June, framing it as a potential U.S.-backed partnership if Israel’s strategy fails to yield results.
- Analysts warn Trump’s suggestion could reignite Lebanon’s fears of Syrian interference and destabilize the region further, given Syria’s history of involvement in Lebanese affairs.
- Trump claimed Israel’s war on Hezbollah lacks a decisive outcome after nearly 1,000 days of fighting, questioning the strategy’s effectiveness.
Still unconfirmed:
- Trump privately threatened ‘ultimate consequences’ if Iran seeks nuclear weapons, though no details on timing or actions were provided.
- A tentative Iran peace deal is set to be formalized with a memorandum of understanding (MOU) signed Friday in a Swiss mountaintop resort, though specifics remain undisclosed.
- Trump described the Lebanon conflict as a ‘minor war’ where Syria could act in partnership with the United States if Israel’s leadership cannot be ‘reigned in.’
- Trump insists he maintains a ‘great relationship’ with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu despite public criticism of his Lebanon strategy.