Trump made the latest remarks during a Fox News interview on Tuesday, arguing that an Israeli withdrawal would ease tensions and allow the United States and Israel to redirect their focus toward their war on Iran.
"It would be good to get out, I think. And I think you might see things get a little bit calmer because we have to focus our energy on the big leagues. The big leagues are Iran," Trump said.
He described a potential Israeli withdrawal as a strategic shift rather than a permanent end to Israel's occupation of southern Lebanon.
"Well, redeploy. It's another word because we're getting along very well with Lebanon. Israel is dealing with them very nicely," he said.
Trump portrayed Syrian President Ahmed Al-Sharaa as capable of confronting Hezbollah with fewer civilian consequences than Israel's ongoing war on Lebanon, which has killed at least 4,319 people, wounded 12,203, and displaced more than one million across the country.
"He would go in and take care of Hezbollah, and he'd do it in a different way. He wouldn't knock down buildings. I hated to see buildings knocked down. I think it'd be more precise, yeah, I think. And I can tell you. I know he'd like to do it," Trump said.
The proposal is not new. Trump first raised the idea last month during the G7 summit, where he praised Al-Sharaa's leadership and suggested Syria could take over the fight against Hezbollah.
"If Israel can't do the job [against Hezbollah] without killing everyone else, then he [Al-Sharaa] will do the job. Syria will do the job," Trump said at the time.
Trump described Al-Sharaa, who came to power after the fall of Bashar Al-Assad, as "very good with Hezbollah," saying he "does not like them," while adding that the Syrian leader was "no Boy Scout."
In a separate NBC interview in June, Trump again called for a Syrian role while criticizing Israel's actions in Lebanon.
"I'd like to see a more surgical attack on Hezbollah. I think it should be more surgical. And we can help them with that, or we can recommend Syria. Syria's doing a very good job of cleaning up their act. They have a very good leader. They have a leader that's really done a good job in a short period of time. And he would love to help," Trump said.
However, Damascus has consistently rejected the idea. In a speech in June, Al-Sharaa dismissed reports that Syria would intervene, saying the country's priority is rebuilding after years of conflict.
"There are people spreading rumours that Syria will intervene in Lebanon. This is not true. We are calling for a permanent end to the war and the strengthening of institutions, and for there to be economic ties and a calming of the situation in Lebanon," he said.
In a subsequent interview with Lebanon's Al-Mashhad TV last month, Al-Sharaa added, "We are looking for economic channels between Lebanon and Syria, not military ones."
Consistent with that approach, Syrian and Lebanese officials agreed to expand economic and trade cooperation during meetings in Damascus on Tuesday, saying they would work to facilitate investment, ease trade barriers, and strengthen coordination between business institutions.
The talks follow renewed efforts by Syria and Lebanon to strengthen bilateral ties. Earlier in July, Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam and Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Al-Shaibani signed an agreement in Beirut to establish a joint body to strengthen cooperation between the two countries.
Syrian Interior Ministry spokesperson Noureddine Al-Baba also said in June that Damascus stood with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, whose government has been engaging in direct negotiations with Tel Aviv.
"Coordination with our brother Lebanon is the cornerstone of any possible role that Syria can play in resolving Lebanese issues," Al-Baba said.
Aoun has insisted that the talks are a first step towards ending Israel's war on Lebanon and restoring Lebanese sovereignty. Hezbollah, however, has rejected the US-backed framework agreement signed in Washington, with its Secretary-General Naim Qassem describing it as "humiliating, shameful, and a surrender of sovereignty." He said the group considered the agreement "null and void."
On 12 July, US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee said the proposal for Syrian involvement in Lebanon had failed to gain support from either Lebanese or Israeli officials.
Trump's renewed push comes after the United States last week removed Syria's designation as a state sponsor of terrorism for the first time since 1979, marking a major shift in Washington's approach towards Damascus.
It also comes after Trump allegedly told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a phone call last week that Israel should withdraw its troops from Syria and Lebanon, according to a Tuesday Axios report citing US and Israeli officials.
Trump warned that the presence of the Israeli occupation army in Syrian territory could create tension and may lead to escalation, one US official told Axios.
"They don't want you there. You should redeploy," Trump allegedly told Netanyahu, according to the official.
The proposal to involve Syria in Israel's war on Lebanon is particularly sensitive given Syria's history in Lebanon, including decades of military intervention and influence after entering the country's 1975–1990 civil war, as well as Hezbollah's alliance with the Assad government during Syria's own conflict. Syrian troops withdrew from Lebanon in 2005.
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