Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa has refused a US proposal for Damascus to help weaken Hezbollah inside Lebanon, according to a Syrian source familiar with the administration's thinking speaking to Kan News. The source said al-Sharaa fears being seen as protecting Israel by intervening militarily, and conditions any such intervention on an Israeli withdrawal from the areas the IDF captured in southern Syria after the fall of Assad.
The report from Kan News adds new detail to a story The Zioneer has tracked throughout the day. On Tuesday, President Trump raised the idea of Syria confronting Hezbollah in place of the IDF, according to reports cited by The Zioneer at 15:26. At 15:20, The Zioneer reported Trump bluntly criticizing Prime Minister Netanyahu's Lebanon policy, saying Israel was taking "too long" against Hezbollah and suggesting Syria might do better. A second bulletin at 15:26 reported that Damascus had already issued a brief statement rejecting any intention to intervene.
This evening's Kan News report — attributed to a Syrian official familiar with the administration's thinking — provides the first on-record rationale for the refusal. The source said the proposal is not new and has come up in recent months, but al-Sharaa himself has been "pouring cold water" on it in recent days. The report also reveals that Turkey, under President Erdogan, advised al-Sharaa not to intervene militarily against Hezbollah in Lebanon, for fear that such a move would strengthen Israel.
What remains unclear is the status of U.S.-Syrian diplomatic contacts on this track, and whether there are any ongoing negotiations over the IDF presence in southern Syria. The Kan report frames the issue as currently at a dead end: the Syrian side insists on an Israeli withdrawal, which Israel has not signaled willingness to discuss under these conditions.
3 developments
- StrongTrump suggests Israel let Syria handle Hezbollah, raising concern in Lebanon
- StrongGoldblatt: Trump acknowledges Israeli fighting against Hezbollah in Lebanon will continue
- DevelopingSyria says it has no intention to intervene in Lebanon, in response to Trump
- DevelopingIsrael objects to Trump demand to halt Lebanon fighting as part of Iran deal
Source and signal
- Internal intake