Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa moved to clarify comments made by President Donald Trump regarding Syria’s potential role in dealing with Hezbollah, insisting that Damascus has no intention of waging war in Lebanon and suggesting that Trump’s remarks had been widely misinterpreted.

Speaking publicly for the first time since Trump floated the idea at the G7 summit, al-Sharaa emphasized that Syria is interested in helping Lebanon achieve stability but not through military intervention or by assuming responsibility for Lebanon’s affairs.

“President Trump expressed concern about what is happening in Lebanon and wants to stop the war there,” al-Sharaa said. “He spoke about Syria’s role in finding a safe solution, but the statement was misinterpreted as though Syria is preparing to invade Lebanon tomorrow morning.”

The Syrian leader acknowledged longstanding tensions between Damascus and Hezbollah but stressed that Syria does not want to see Lebanon descend further into conflict.

“We have a deep problem with Hezbollah, but we do not want all of Lebanon to die,” he said.

Al-Sharaa argued that Lebanon is trapped between dangerous alternatives and warned against forcing the country into another destructive confrontation.

“Lebanon cannot remain trapped between the options of civil war and war with Israel,” he said. “The Shiites in Lebanon need calm, not more fears and confrontations.”

The remarks came days after Trump surprised observers at the G7 summit by suggesting that Syria could take the lead in confronting Hezbollah as fighting between Israel and the Iranian-backed terror group continues to threaten regional stability.

Asked whether the new U.S.-Iran agreement could survive if Israel expands military operations in Lebanon, Trump responded that it could, while pointing to Hezbollah as a continuing obstacle.

“Yes, it can. But we have that same little problem that keeps popping up again and again, and that is Hezbollah,” Trump said.

The president then suggested that Syria’s leadership might be better positioned than Israel to confront the Lebanese terror organization.

“I had a lot of influence over what happened in Syria, and the man who runs Syria today is someone I helped bring to power together with President Erdogan and others,” Trump said. “He has done an amazing job unifying the country, and he is very tough on Hezbollah. He doesn’t like them.”

Trump went on to reveal that he had discussed the idea directly with Israeli officials.

“I suggested to Israel that they let Syria deal with Hezbollah because, frankly, I think they would do it better,” he said.

{Matzav.com}