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Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem said on August 4 that he had no objection to meeting with the leadership of Syria.
“There is no impediment to a public meeting between Hezbollah and the Syrian leadership at a time considered appropriate by both sides,” Qassem said in a televised address, emphasizing “the importance and necessity of positive, fraternal, cooperative relations”.
Hezbollah fought in support of Syria’s former president Bashar al-Assad for years to maintain its main supply routes, which put the group at odds with the Islamist rebels who eventually took over the country.
Recently, United States President Donald Trump has been suggesting that Syria should take on Hezbollah in Lebanon, saying President Ahmed al-Sharaa “would be more precise than Israel” in confronting the group and would do so without “knocking down buildings”.
Sharaa, from his side, repeatedly said he has no interest in a military intervention in Lebanon and has signaled his own willingness to talk with Hezbollah.
Nevertheless, despite the official denial, Kan News reported last month that Sharaa has proposed military plans against Hezbollah that can be activated by Trump if needed. A Syrian security source even told the Israeli state broadcaster that “there’s a gap between what’s said publicly and what’s discussed behind closed doors.”
In addition, there have been credible reports of a Syrian military buildup along the border with Lebanon, mainly near Hezbollah’s strongholds in Baalbek-Hermel and the Beqaa Valley.
Syrian security forces have also been cracking down on attempts to smuggle weapons into Lebanon, and have accused Hezbollah more than once over the past year of plotting attacks on Syrian territory, including one allegedly targeting a Jewish rabbi in Damascus.
While both Syria and Hezbollah have voiced their openness to hold talks, a meeting remains highly unlikely, as Sharaa will not likely approve any step that could trigger the U.S. or Israel.
In a recent interview with Al Jazeera, Sharaa made it clear that his priority is working toward a security agreement with Israel, which he said could eventually pave the way for comprehensive peace without Syria relinquishing its claim to the Golan Heights — captured by Israel during the 1967 Six Day War and later annexed.
Ultimately, if Trump asks Sharaa to move against Hezbollah, the Syrian president will not likely be able to reject the request, as he has relied largely on the U.S. to legitimize his rule. Still, any escalation by Israel against Syria could push Damascus to reconsider its hostile stance against Hezbollah.
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