Beirut Rejects Trump's Proposal for Syria to Handle Hizbullah in Lebanon

Lebanese Justice Minister Adel Nassar on Wednesday rejected a proposal by US President Donald Trump suggesting that Israel should let Syria handle the Hizbullah group in Lebanon. In an interview with CNN, Nassar stressed that disarming Hizbullah is the task of the Lebanese state, not a foreign party. “This is not about foreign troops doing the job. Lebanon has suffered for years from the interference of other parties. If Hizbullah is currently a proxy of Iran, it is because of Iranian interference in Lebanon’s internal affairs,” he said. On Tuesday, Trump suggested to Israel that it should let Syria deal with Hizbullah in Lebanon. “I suggested to Israel that they let Syria handle Hizbullah because, frankly, I think they would do a better job,” Trump told reporters in France. Hizbullah has been engaged in fighting with Israel since early March following the outbreak of war between the United States and Israel against Iran. Tensions along the Lebanon-Israel border continue despite an understanding reached between Washington and Tehran aimed at ending their military conflict. The conflict erupted after Israel and the United States launched attacks on Iran on 28 February. Iranian officials have repeatedly stated that halting Israeli attacks on various regional fronts, particularly in Lebanon, is one of the main objectives of the memorandum of understanding scheduled to be signed between Tehran and Washington on Friday. Israel still occupies several areas in southern Lebanon, some of which it has controlled for decades, while other areas were occupied during the previous war in the 2023–2024 period. In the current military operation, Israeli forces are reported to have advanced more than 10 kilometres into Lebanese territory.