Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa responded Sunday evening to Trump's reported proposal that Damascus confront Hezbollah, saying Syria will not operate on Lebanese soil and is willing to negotiate with Hezbollah despite the damage the group has caused Syria, according to Syrian media reports. Al-Sharaa also said he spoke with Trump and suggested "solutions other than war," pushing back against US expectations that Damascus would take military action against the Lebanese militia.
Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa issued a clear refusal Sunday evening to U.S. President Donald Trump's reported push for Damascus to take military action against Hezbollah in Lebanon. In remarks carried by Syrian outlet Al-Mashhad, al-Sharaa stated that Syria 'will not operate in Lebanese territory' and, notably, expressed willingness to sit down with Hezbollah — the very group the U.S. has pressed Syria to fight. Al-Sharaa acknowledged that Syria has been harmed by Hezbollah, but nevertheless offered dialogue, adding that he had spoken with Trump and proposed 'solutions other than war and other ways of dealing with Hezbollah.' This marks a clearer articulation of al-Sharaa's position following earlier reports: an initial statement in the evening (published at 21:35 Jerusalem) said Syria would not enter Lebanon, and a subsequent more detailed one included the offer of talks with Hezbollah and confirmation of his call with Trump.
The development comes after a rapid sequence of events The Zioneer has tracked over the past week. As reported earlier Sunday (19:26 Jerusalem), Trump was reportedly moving closer to handing the Hezbollah file to al-Sharaa. By Sunday afternoon (16:23 Jerusalem), Trump voiced disappointment that Israel had not 'moved' Hezbollah and said he was 'close to letting Syria do it.' In the days prior, the U.S. administration had approached Damascus with the proposal, as The Zioneer reported on June 16 — a proposal al-Sharaa initially rejected, citing concern over being seen as protecting Israel and conditioning any intervention on an Israeli withdrawal from captured Syrian territory. Trump subsequently made public remarks (June 17, 19:48 and 19:52 Jerusalem) suggesting Syria could handle the matter efficiently.
Al-Sharaa's latest remarks sharply push back on the expectation of military action, instead signaling a preference for political channels — and a notable openness toward the very group Israel and the U.S. have sought to weaken. The Syrian president's position has been consistent in its refusal to enter Lebanon, but the offer to negotiate with Hezbollah represents a new element, going beyond a simple rejection of U.S. pressure. An Israeli security official, as The Zioneer reported on June 17, said Hezbollah fears a Syrian ground invasion more than an IDF operation — a scenario al-Sharaa has now explicitly ruled out.
Open questions: It remains unclear how the Trump administration will respond to al-Sharaa's explicit refusal, and whether the U.S. will now explore alternative approaches. The U.S. reaction to al-Sharaa's public offer to negotiate with Hezbollah — and his reported suggestion of non-military solutions to Trump — has yet to emerge.
7 developments
- StrongSyrian president al-Sharaa rejects US proposal to confront Hezbollah militarily in Lebanon, citing concern over perception and unmet Israeli demands
- StrongSyria's interim president: We have a deep problem with Hezbollah but don't want Lebanon destroyed
- DevelopingSyria's al-Julani says he believes in dialogue with Hezbollah even during war
- DevelopingTrump says Syria could handle Hezbollah 'without knocking down buildings', Israel should not need to
Source and signal
- Internal intake