President Donald Trump’s suggestion that Syria should take over from Israel the targeting of Hezbollah is “misguided,” according to a former top Pentagon official.Trump reiterated that idea on Tuesday morning, saying, “I suggested to Israel to let Syria take care of Hezbollah. Because, to be honest with you, I think they’d do a better job of doing it,” and adding, “If Israel can’t do the job without killing everyone else, Syria will do the job.”The president said in an NBC interview earlier this month that Syrian leader Ahmed al-Sharaa is a “very good leader who has really done a good job in a short period of time,” adding that he would “love to help,” but al Sharaa, for his part, denied that Syria would get involved.
Dana Stroul, the deputy assistant secretary of defense for the Middle East during the Biden administration, told the Washington Examiner: “This is a misguided idea that will lead to more war and instability. Trump wants a quick fix for disarming Hezbollah, and is losing confidence in the Lebanese army and Beirut government. Syrian President al Sharaa has made clear repeatedly that he has no intention of sending Syria’s forces into its neighbor’s territory, because he understands the risks to Syria’s recovery and to the prospect of a renewed civil war in Lebanon.”
