US President Donald Trump suggested that Syria should take on Hezbollah instead of Israel, saying Damascus would handle the militant group more effectively.
US President Donald Trump has suggested that Syria should take over the fight against the Iran-backed Hezbollah group instead of Israel, saying the country’s new leadership would “do a better job” of defeating the militant group, reported AP. Meanwhile, Iran launched drone and missile attacks on Bahrain and Kuwait in retaliation for fresh US airstrikes.
Trump made the remarks amid Israel’s ongoing military operations against Hezbollah in Lebanon and rising tensions across the Middle East. Speaking on the sidelines of the G7 summit earlier this month, Trump said Israel’s military operations in Lebanon had gone on for too long and caused heavy civilian casualties.
“You don’t have to knock down an apartment house every time you’re looking for somebody, because there are a lot of people in those apartment houses and they’re not all Hezbollah,” Trump said. “I suggested to Israel to let Syria take care of Hezbollah. ‘Cause to be honest with you, I think they’d do a better job,” he added.
Days later, Fox News reported that Trump repeated the proposal during an interview held on the opening day of US-Iran talks in Switzerland. According to Yingst, Trump said he was disappointed that Israel could not “put Hezbollah away” and that he was “close to giving it to Syria” because he believed the country’s new leadership would conduct military operations with greater precision.
Syria’s Islamist-led administration came to power after former President Bashar Assad was overthrown about a year and a half ago. Since then, Damascus has focused on rebuilding the country after more than a decade of civil war, reported AP.
Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa said, “There are people spreading rumors that Syria will intervene in Lebanon. This is not true. We are calling for a permanent end to the war and the strengthening of institutions and for there to be economic ties and a calming of the situation in Lebanon.”
