Syria, Lebanon stress noninterference as Damascus mulls Hezbollah talks

Lebanese and Syrian officials on Thursday sought to distance Damascus from any future role in confronting Hezbollah, even as Syria's foreign minister said his government would be willing to meet with the militant group if necessary.

What happened: The comments came during Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shibani's visit to Beirut, where he met with President Joseph Aoun, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam and parliament speaker Nabih Berri.

At a joint press conference after meeting Salam, Shibani was asked whether Beirut would accept Syrian involvement in Lebanon's security if the US pushed for it. Salam declined to answer directly, saying, "I think His Excellency President Ahmed al-Sharaa has already answered this question."

In a statement following his meeting with Shibani, Aoun said that the Syrian foreign minister confirmed “Syria’s intent to build sound state-to-state relations based on mutual respect and noninterference.”

Following a separate meeting with Berri, a key political ally of Hezbollah, Shibani said the group had not been discussed during their talks, according to Lebanon's state-run National News Agency. Asked whether Damascus would be willing to meet with Hezbollah in the future, however, Shibani indicated that it would not rule out such contacts.

“If the interest requires a meeting with Hezbollah, we are open to it,” he said.

Background: In mid-June, President Donald Trump suggested that Syria could play a role in fighting Hezbollah. 

"I suggested to Israel to let Syria take care of Hezbollah, because to be honest with you, I think they do a better job of doing it," Trump said, after criticizing Israel for taking too long to defeat Hezbollah and pointing to the thousands of civilian casualties incurred during Israel’s campaign in Lebanon.

Later that month, Trump reiterated the idea in an interview with Fox News, saying he was “disappointed Israel can't put Hezbollah away," before adding, "I'm close to giving it over to Syria.”

Sharaa, who has maintained a good relationship with Trump, has rejected suggestions that Syria could reestablish a military role in Lebanon.

In an interview with Al Mashhad last month, the Syrian president said Damascus was pursuing economic cooperation with Beirut, not security involvement. “We are looking for economic channels between Lebanon and Syria, not military ones,” he said.

“The solution for Lebanon will not come through war and the bombing of cities. President Trump expressed concern about the current situation in Lebanon, and his words were misunderstood. He spoke about Syria’s role in seeking a safe and peaceful solution, but people understood him as if Syria would enter Lebanon tomorrow morning,” Sharaa added.

Reuters reported in March that the US had encouraged Syria to consider deploying forces to eastern Lebanon to help disarm Hezbollah, although Damascus was reluctant to do so. US envoy to Syria Tom Barrack dismissed the report at the time as "false and inaccurate." Barrack has not publicly commented on Trump's more recent remarks.

Know more: Any suggestion of a renewed Syrian security role in Lebanon remains politically sensitive. Syrian forces were deployed in Lebanon from 1976 until their withdrawal in 2005, leaving a legacy that continues to shape relations between the two countries.

The occupation was marked by widespread allegations of arbitrary detention, enforced disappearances and political repression, with thousands of Lebanese taken to prisons in Syria. Syrian forces withdrew in 2005 following the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri and the mass anti-Syrian protests known as the Cedar Revolution.

Since the fall of Bashar al-Assad's government in December 2024, Beirut and Damascus have sought to reset ties.