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Why does Trump now want Syria to ‘take care of Hezbollah’?

For decades, Syria and Hezbollah were close allies, linked through Iran. So, why has Trump sought Syria's help now? It has to do with not only Israeli military action, but also the US's changing relationship with Syria.

To understand the significance of Trump’s remarks, it is necessary to look at the historical relationship between Syria and Hezbollah. (AP)

5 min readNew DelhiJun 18, 2026 04:36 PM IST First published on: Jun 18, 2026 at 04:36 PM IST

Written by Akshita Chauhan

At the recently concluded G7 Summit in France, US President Donald Trump said that Syria should “take care of Hezbollah”, claiming that Damascus could handle the Iran-backed Lebanese group better than Israel.

The comments came as the text of the US-Iran ceasefire deal (formally the Memorandum of Understanding) was made public on Thursday (June 18). The very first of the 14 points stated that “The United States of America and the Islamic Republic of Iran and their allies in the current war by signing this MOU, declare the immediate and permanent termination of military operations on all fronts, including in Lebanon…”

Trump also expressed frustration at the deaths of Lebanese civilians due to Israeli strikes, saying, “Israel has been fighting Hezbollah too long… and you don’t have to knock down an apartment house every time you’re looking for somebody. Because there are a lot of people in those apartment houses and they are not all Hezbollah, that I can tell you.”

For decades, Syria and Hezbollah were close allies linked through Iran. So, why has Trump sought Syria’s help now? It has to do with not only Israeli action, but also the US’s changing relationship with Syria.

What is the Syria-Hezbollah relationship?

To understand the significance of Trump’s remarks, it is necessary to look at the historical relationship between Syria and Hezbollah.

Hezbollah, meaning “The Party of God”, emerged in Lebanon in 1982 during the Lebanese Civil War and the Israeli invasion of Lebanon. Backed by Iran and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), who funded and trained its budding militia owing to their common anti-US, anti-Israel stance, the group became one of the most politically and militarily influential non-state actors in West Asia.

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Syria borders Lebanon to the west. For decades, Syria served as Hezbollah’s most important ally by providing the geographic, military and political support the group needed for growing its influence in the region.

According to a report by the US Department of State from 2006, under former President Bashar al-Assad, Damascus maintained close ties with Tehran and acted as a logistical corridor connecting Iran to Hezbollah. Weapons, funding, and supplies destined for Hezbollah often moved through Syrian territory, as stated by the think tank Council on Foreign Relations (CFR).

The relationship strengthened during the Syrian Civil War that began in the 2010s. As Syria faced an existential threat from rebel groups, including some backed by the US, Hezbollah deployed thousands of fighters in support of Syrian government forces to help Assad regain control. According to the BBC, in 2013, the group’s former head, Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah, declared: “Syria has real friends who will not let it fall to the US, Israel or Islamic radicals.”

What explains Trump’s comments?

The answer lies in the new Syrian leadership.

The Syrian Civil War came to an end in December 2024, when the Ahmed al-Sharaa-led group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) successfully took control of vast parts of Syria. Since then, with al-Sharaa as President, Syria has been trying to distance itself from Iran’s network and gain international legitimacy after decades of intertwined connections with Hezbollah and Iran.

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There are clear difficulties in doing so, such as the leader’s own past role as a former al-Qaeda commander. His attempts at portraying himself as a leader focused on rebuilding Syria and making the nation a serious international player, and in seeking out the US as an ally, come against this backdrop.

Despite its complicated history with Syria, for Washington, this shift presents an opportunity. Trump has called al-Sharaa a “tough guy” who was “working very hard” to secure the HTS’s dominance within the country, where some pockets are still resisting against the new regime. If Syria isolates itself from Iran, it could potentially weaken Hezbollah’s access to logistical networks that once passed through Syrian territory.

Seen in this context, Trump’s remarks are more about reshaping regional alignments in West Asia. By urging Syria to “take care of Hezbollah”, he appears to be signalling support for Damascus to act independently and contribute to limiting Hezbollah’s influence, thereby weakening Iran.

The other major factor driving Trump to criticise Israel is that its military campaign comes at a time when attempts at a peace deal are being made. With disruptions in oil and gas supply also contributing to inflation in the US, ahead of mid-term elections in November, there are real concerns of an already unpopular war affecting electoral outcomes for Trump.

The author is an intern with The Indian Express