U.S. President Donald Trump’s repeated suggestions that Syria’s new leader, Ahmad Sharaa, can better curb Iran-backed Hezbollah than Israel have alarmed Lebanon and Syria. Photo by Aaron Schwartz/UPI | License Photo
BEIRUT, Lebanon, June 26 (UPI) -- U.S. President Donald Trump's repeated suggestions that Syria's new leader, Ahmad Sharaa, can better curb Iran-backed Hezbollah than Israel have alarmed Lebanon and Syria, reviving painful memories of decades of troubled relations, military interventions, and sectarian violence.
The disarmament of Hezbollah, which grew into the region's most powerful armed group through more than 40 years of Iranian funding and military support, has become an increasingly pressing issue, with Israel consistently calling for the group to be stripped of its weapons since it opened a front in support of Gaza in October 2023.
Although Israel retaliated forcefully and dealt Hezbollah significant blows by decapitating its top command and severely degrading its military infrastructure, it did not fully defeat the group, which resumed fighting in March after rebuilding its ranks.
Frustrated by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's delays in ending the war in Lebanon and eager to finalize a deal with Iran, Trump turned to Sharaa to "deal with Hezbollah," arguing that he would do "a better job."
