US President Donald Trump suggested on Tuesday that Israel allow Syria to “deal with Hezbollah,” claiming Damascus would do a “better job.” The proposal, which Trump has now raised twice this month, touches on some of Lebanon’s deepest anxieties: Syria’s long history of interference in its affairs and the jihadist past of the country’s new rulers.
It is unclear exactly what Trump is suggesting — deploying Syrian troops to southern Lebanon, or having Syrian forces forcibly cut off weapons supply routes. Either option would stoke fear inside Lebanon.
Syria dominated Lebanon’s political scene for nearly three decades. Syrian forces first deployed into the neighboring country during its civil war in 1976 — ostensibly as peacekeepers — but remained long after the fighting stopped and maintained a prolonged military presence that is seen by many as an occupation.
That period was marred by thousands of disappearances and deaths, shaping Lebanese distrust and complicating feelings toward Syria. Any renewed Syrian intervention inside Lebanon is likely to be very unpopular.
The Iran-backed Shiite Lebanese militant group Hezbollah intervened on behalf of former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad during the Syrian civil war to preserve a vital arms supply route linking it to Iran and Iraq. It provided crucial military support to Assad’s brutal hold on power.
