Beirut rejects Trump's proposal for Syria to deal with Hezbollah in Lebanon

JAKARTA - Lebanese Minister of Justice Adel Nassar rejected US President Donald Trump's proposal that Israel should let Syria deal with the Hezbollah group in Lebanon.

In an interview with CNN, Nassar stressed that the removal of Hezbollah's power was the task of the Lebanese state, not foreign parties.

"This is not about foreign forces doing the job. Lebanon has suffered for years as a result of the intervention of other parties. If Hezbollah is currently an Iranian proxy, it is because of Iran's interference in Lebanon's internal affairs," he said as quoted by ANTARA, Thursday, June 18.

On Tuesday, Trump advised Israel to let Syria handle Hezbollah in Lebanon.

"I suggest to Israel that they let Syria deal with Hezbollah because, frankly, I think they would do a better job," Trump told reporters in France.

Hezbollah has been engaged in fighting with Israel since early March after the outbreak of the war between the United States and Israel against Iran.

Tensions on the Lebanese-Israeli border continue despite a breakthrough between Washington and Tehran aimed at ending their military conflict.

The conflict erupted after Israel and the United States launched an attack on Iran on February 28.

Iranian officials have repeatedly stated that halting Israeli attacks on various regional fronts, especially in Lebanon, is one of the main goals of the memorandum of understanding scheduled to be signed between Tehran and Washington next Friday.

Israel still occupies a number of areas in southern Lebanon, some of which have been occupied for decades, while other areas have been occupied since the previous war in the 2023-2024 period.

In the current military operation, Israeli forces are reported to have moved more than 10 kilometers into Lebanese territory.