President Donald Trump said Tuesday that he suggested Israel allow Syria to take care of Hezbollah [1].
The proposal represents a significant shift in the U.S. approach to Middle East security, suggesting that a regional adversary could manage a militant group more effectively than a primary ally.
Speaking during a press briefing with reporters at the G7 summit, Trump said that Syria could do a better job at dealing with Hezbollah than Israel [1, 3]. He said that Israel's current campaign against the group was causing too many casualties [1, 2].
Trump pointed to the current leadership in Damascus as a primary reason for his suggestion. "The man that’s running Syria now is very good with Hezbollah," Trump said [1].
According to reports from the briefing, the president said that shifting the burden of managing the group to Syria would be a more efficient strategy [2, 4]. "I suggested to Israel to let Syria take care of Hezbollah because, to be honest with you, I think …" Trump said [2].
The comments come amid ongoing tensions and military operations involving Israel and Hezbollah. Trump's assertion that Syria is better positioned to handle the group suggests a preference for regional diplomacy or proxy management over direct military confrontation by Israeli forces [1, 3].
“Syria could do a better job at dealing with Hezbollah than Israel.”
This suggestion indicates a willingness by the US administration to leverage the Syrian government's influence over Hezbollah to stabilize the region. By prioritizing the reduction of casualties over Israel's independent military objectives, the administration may be signaling a move toward a more pragmatic, albeit controversial, regional power-sharing arrangement to contain militant activity.
