US President Donald Trump's suggestion that Syria should take on Hezbollah instead of Israel has triggered concern across the Middle East, raising fears in Lebanon, fuelling Israeli unease and adding another layer of uncertainty to an already volatile region.
As the White House has grown increasingly frustrated with Israel's prolonged military campaign against the Iran-backed Lebanese militant group, Trump has floated an alternative that has surprised allies and observers alike: allowing Syria's new Islamist-led government to confront Hezbollah.
The proposal marks a dramatic shift in US rhetoric towards Syria, whose new leadership came to power after Islamist-led insurgents overthrew longtime president Bashar Assad in late 2024.
Although Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa has firmly rejected the idea of military intervention in Lebanon, Trump has continued to argue that Syrian forces could prove more effective than the Israeli military in dismantling Hezbollah.
Speaking on the sidelines of the G7 summit earlier this month, Trump criticised Israel's military campaign, saying it had dragged on for too long and caused excessive civilian casualties.
"You don't have to knock down an apartment house every time you're looking for somebody," Trump said. "There are a lot of people in those apartment houses and they're not all Hezbollah."
"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," he added.
Fox News correspondent Trey Yingst later reported that Trump had reiterated the idea during an interview conducted alongside the first round of US-Iran talks in Switzerland, saying he was "close to giving it to Syria" because he believed al-Sharaa's government would conduct more precise operations.
The White House has declined to elaborate on the proposal, referring only to Trump's public remarks.
Damascus has sought to dampen speculation that it could intervene militarily in neighbouring Lebanon.
In a speech on June 13, al-Sharaa dismissed reports that Syria planned to enter the conflict.
"There are people spreading rumours that Syria will intervene in Lebanon. This is not true," he said. "We are calling for a permanent end to the war, stronger institutions, economic cooperation and a calming of the situation in Lebanon."
In a subsequent interview with Emirati broadcaster Al Mashhad, al-Sharaa insisted Trump's remarks had been misunderstood.
He said Syria had instead presented Washington with proposals focused on ending the conflict and pursuing economic, political and social solutions rather than military action.
Since taking power, Syria's new leadership has repeatedly said its priority is rebuilding a country devastated by more than a decade of civil war rather than becoming embroiled in regional conflicts.
Despite Hezbollah's military support for Assad during the Syrian civil war, the new government has maintained that it is not seeking revenge.
During the recent Israel-Iran conflict, Syria largely remained on the sidelines, reinforcing its border with Lebanon to prevent arms smuggling and contain any spillover violence.
Earlier this year, Damascus accused Hezbollah of firing artillery shells into Syrian territory, an allegation the group denied. The confrontation ended without further escalation after Turkish mediation, according to Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan.
Al-Sharaa has also said he remains open to dialogue with Hezbollah and has even offered to help mediate discussions among Lebanese political factions over the future of the group's weapons.
Trump's comments have revived longstanding fears in Lebanon, where memories of Syria's decades-long military presence, which ended in 2005, remain politically sensitive.
The proposal has also heightened concerns in Israel, where officials remain deeply suspicious of Syria's new Islamist-led government. Israel has maintained control over a strip of southern Syrian territory since Assad's fall and continues to monitor developments closely.
Israeli security officials reportedly held high-level discussions this week to assess the implications of Trump's remarks and Syria's growing regional role.
At the same time, Syria has become another arena of strategic competition between Israel and Turkey, one of the principal backers of al-Sharaa's government, with both countries seeking to expand their influence.
Analysts have questioned the practicality of Trump's proposal.
Randa Slim, director of the Middle East Programme at the Washington-based Stimson Center, described the suggestion as being "at best, driven by a profound ignorance of the dynamics on the ground".
She argued that Syria faces enormous domestic challenges, including rebuilding state institutions, repatriating millions of refugees and integrating fragmented armed groups, making any military campaign in Lebanon highly unrealistic.
Sectarian violence that erupted following Assad's overthrow has further exposed the fragility of Syria's security environment, with attacks against Alawite and Druze communities fuelling fears of wider instability spilling across the Lebanese border.
While the Trump administration has not indicated whether the proposal is under active consideration, the remarks have already unsettled regional capitals, highlighting the increasingly complex balance of power involving Syria, Lebanon, Israel, Iran and Turkey.