US President Donald Trump has publicly suggested using Syria as a proxy for a “more surgical attack” against Hezbollah in Lebanon, according to an NBC interview reported by The National and Anadolu. The remarks come as Trump has embraced Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, a former Al-Qaeda commander, at the White House and praised him as a “very good leader” doing a “very good job.”
The background to this development lies in the broader US-Israeli war on Iran and its regional proxies. Hezbollah, which has defended Lebanese territory against repeated Israeli invasions and currently resists the ongoing occupation bombardment, has been a primary target of Washington and Tel Aviv. The United States has historically used proxy forces to advance its regional objectives while avoiding direct military entanglement, from arming militants in Afghanistan to supporting armed groups in Syria itself.
Current developments indicate that Trump explicitly floated Damascus as a partner against Hezbollah, stating the US could either assist directly or “recommend Syria” for the operation. Reports earlier this year revealed Washington had sought to persuade Syria to send forces into eastern Lebanon against Hezbollah, though Damascus ultimately refused and maintained its non-intervention posture. Trump’s public endorsement of Al-Sharaa as a potential anti-Hezbollah partner marks a dramatic rehabilitation of a figure who once led a designated terrorist organization.
Strategically, the situation reveals Washington’s willingness to empower former enemies as disposable assets against current adversaries. Al-Sharaa, who headed Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, an Al-Qaeda affiliate, now receives White House praise and American military recommendations while his forces position near the Lebanese border. The arrangement allows the United States to advance its anti-Hezbollah agenda through Syrian proxies while maintaining distance from direct operations.
The implications for Lebanon are catastrophic. The country, already devastated by Israeli bombardment and economic collapse, faces the prospect of a new front opening from its Syrian border. Hezbollah, which has resisted Israeli occupation for decades, now confronts the possibility of coordinated pressure from both the south and the east, orchestrated by Washington using Syrian territory and forces.
As Trump’s proposal circulates, the trajectory of US-Syrian cooperation against Hezbollah remains uncertain. Whether Al-Sharaa’s forces will initiate operations or merely serve as a threatening presence on the border depends on Damascus’s calculations. What remains clear is that a former Al-Qaeda commander has been embraced by Washington as a strategic asset, with American support enabling the positioning of Syrian forces against a Lebanese resistance group.
