Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to call for a Security Cabinet meeting on Wednesday regarding Syria in connection with Lebanon, following US President Donald Trump's recent comments about handing over responsibility for Hezbollah to the Syrian regime of Ahmad al-Sharaa, N12 News reported.
"If Israel can't do the job without killing everyone else, Syria should do the job," Sharaa said in a bilateral meeting on June 16. "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."
According to Arab News, Sharaa denied that "his country sought to intervene militarily in Lebanon where Israel and Hezbollah are at war, after US President Donald Trump repeatedly suggested Damascus could get involved."
In an interview with Dubai-based Lebanese outlet Al Mashhad, Sharaa said, "We are looking for economic channels between Lebanon and Syria, not military ones."
In separate instances, the Syrian president said, "Lebanon needs joint solutions, and Syria is ready to anchor a new security path... Our goal is to back the Lebanese state, strengthen its institutions," and "Syria can be relied upon to find a safe path toward a solution, but this does not mean war."
Israel fears return to 2005 status quo, sees indication of Syrian entry
Despite these denials that Syria would deploy its army in Lebanon, N12 reported that Israel has identified indications that Syria is looking to seize control of parts of Lebanon.
According to N12, analysts within Israel believe the Syrian regime is strengthening its influence in border areas, while also moving to take control of Lebanese power centers. They are concerned about a return to Syrian dominance in Lebanon, similar to pre-2005 regional reality, as well as strengthened ties between Syria, the United States, and the Gulf States.
'Like tossing a match into a powder keg'
In response to Trump's proposed solution of handing over the Hezbollah issue to Syria, an Israeli official told N12, "This is like tossing a match into a powder keg; we will get al-Qaeda and [Turkish President Recep Tayyip] Erdogan on our northern border."
The al-Qaeda comment is a reference to Sharaa's time as an emir within the terror group, before splitting from the global jihadist movement to form Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham during the Syrian Civil War.
According to N12, Israel's defense establishment is searching for alternative solutions to dealing with Hezbollah that do not involve the "worst-case scenario" of Syrian intervention, which they believe would result in Turkish encroachment, with both Erdogan and Sharaa gaining favor with the White House in the backdrop of a potential falling-out with Netanyahu.
Israel's weighing of a decision to hand over recently captured Hezbollah tunnels to the Lebanese Army may be a result of such considerations, said a source familiar with the details.