![Israeli Gunfire Kills Two in Southern Lebanon Amid Ceasefire Concerns]](https://i2.wp.com/www.al-monitor.com/sites/default/files/styles/social_media_share/public/2026-06/2026-06-23T125343Z_1_LYNXMPEM5M0TZ_RTROPTP_4_IRAN-CRISIS-ISRAEL-LEBANON.JPG?h=e31b4ebe&itok=tXg4H3yo&w=1024&resize=1024,1024&ssl=1 "Israeli Gunfire Kills Two in Southern Lebanon Amid Ceasefire Concerns]")
In recent weeks, Washington has discussed the possibility of Syria intervening in Lebanon.
The reports emerged as the Trump administration voiced concern over Israel’s conflict with Hezbollah, suggesting that President Donald Trump believed Israel could not quickly defeat Hezbollah and that the war had caused excessive destruction.
Trump contemplated whether Syria could assist, and his administration has embraced Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa.
Can Sharaa Provide a Solution for Lebanon?
Syria and Lebanon share more than merely a border. Hezbollah entered the Syrian civil war, supporting the Assad regime, while Iran supplied weapons to Hezbollah through Syria. Syrian opponents of Assad commonly view Hezbollah as complicit in Assad’s crimes.
Consequently, it is thought that Syrian rebel factions that assumed control after Assad’s December 2024 ouster may welcome a chance to confront Hezbollah in Lebanon.
The Sharaa administration has acted cautiously, preventing smuggling to Hezbollah, and refrains from initiating a new war. Syria previously intervened in Lebanon, deploying troops in 1976 and maintaining a presence until 2005, when Hezbollah participated in the assassination of former Lebanese prime minister Rafic Hariri.
These events prompted Lebanon to demand Syria’s withdrawal in 2005, as Syria was perceived to be aligned with Hezbollah.
Syria is aware of the difficulty of deploying forces to Lebanon. Sharaa recently stated, “Lebanon requires joint solutions, and Syria is prepared to anchor a new security path…Our objective is to support the Lebanese state and strengthen its institutions.”
He argues that this entails engaging Lebanon in talks, potentially including Hezbollah, and Syria favors diplomatic solutions over military action.
Arab News reported that Syrian President Ahmed Al-Sharaa denied on Sunday that his country intended any military intervention in Lebanon, where Israel and Hezbollah are at war, following repeated suggestions from US President Donald Trump that Damascus might get involved.
The report also noted that Sharaa said, “We are seeking economic channels between Lebanon and Syria, not military ones,” during an interview on the television channel Al Mashhad.
Arab News reported that on Sunday, Trump told Fox News he was “disappointed Israel can’t put Hezbollah away,” and added, “I’m close to giving it over to Syria.”
Trump’s apparent desire for Syria to play a role could still materialize in other ways.
Al-Nusra reported that Trump has not abandoned efforts to dismantle Hezbollah, despite the memorandum of understanding with Iran, and is pursuing other measures to pressure the organization and bolster the US position in Lebanon and the region.
The report also noted that, despite calls for a ceasefire and a new de‑confliction framework in Lebanon, Washington is estimated to be employing multiple tools simultaneously to attempt Hezbollah’s disarmament.
The report adds that, even as the United States engages in Iran talks in Switzerland, it has imposed sanctions on Hezbollah allies, including Suleiman Frangieh, head of the Marada movement, and pressured Syrian authorities to intervene in Lebanon.
The report further states that sources note the sanctions convey several messages: to Lebanon, to remain firm under pressure; to Hezbollah, that the organization remains viewed as needing disarmament; and to the party’s allies, that there is no fundamental change domestically.
US Aims to Disarm Hezbollah
A Naharnet report indicated that the US Treasury imposed sanctions on Thursday on Marada Movement chief Suleiman Franjieh, Hezbollah political council deputy head Mahmoud Qmati, and others for using their influence to obstruct Lebanon’s peace process and delay Hezbollah’s disarmament.
The United States seeks Hezbollah’s disarmament, and the Treasury will continue targeting its financial networks.
Suleiman Frangieh, born in 1965, is a former Lebanese parliament member, a Christian, and previously a supporter of Bashar al-Assad.
He was previously supported by Hezbollah, and his father, Tony Frangieh, was assassinated in 1978 by rival Christian fighters from the Kataeb Party.
He is the grandson of former Lebanese president Suleiman Frangieh, sharing the same name. A former soldier, he led the Marada Brigades militia, which was dissolved under the Taif Agreement that ended the Lebanese civil war, and was appointed to parliament in 1991.
