US President Donald Trump is scheduled to meet Syrian President Ahmad Al Shara at the Nato summit in Turkey on Wednesday, the White House has said.
The meeting in Ankara would be the first between the two leaders since Mr Trump suggested a Syrian intervention in Lebanon to help disarm Iran-backed militia Hezbollah.
Damascus has repeatedly rejected the proposal and says it is not interested in any military or security role in Lebanon. But political sources have told The National that the US pressure is “real”.
A planned meeting between Mr Trump and Mr Al Shara in Washington last month did not take place. Reports had suggested that a potential Syrian role in Lebanon would be discussed during talks in the US capital on June 14.
A White House official later said the meeting was “not on the schedule at this time”, but added that Mr Trump and Mr Al Shara “have a strong relationship and are easily in contact whenever needed”.
The visit was expected to take place shortly before the G7 summit in Evian-les-Bains, France. Mr Al Shara was also invited to that gathering, but did not attend.
At the summit, Mr Trump again suggested that Syria could “take care of Hezbollah” after criticising Israel's attacks on Lebanon and calling for more precise military action against the Iran-backed group.
“Israel's fighting Hezbollah too long and too many people are being killed … I suggested to Israel to let Syria take care of Hezbollah, because to be honest, I think they do a better job,” Mr Trump said at the time.
Reports emerged earlier this year that the White House wanted to persuade Mr Al Shara to send Syrian troops into eastern Lebanon in an effort to curb Hezbollah's operations. The idea was first discussed last year, and resurfaced after the start of the Iran war in February, sources told The National.
In recent weeks, Mr Al Shara has sought to calm fears of a renewed Syrian role in Lebanon. Damascus, he said, wants to address the issues posed by Hezbollah without causing Lebanon to suffer the same kind of devastation Syria experienced during more than a decade of civil war.
He also dismissed as “completely unfounded” speculation that Syrian troops could enter Lebanon, according to Syrian state media.
This position was reaffirmed by Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Al Shibani at meetings with Lebanese officials during his trip to Beirut last week.
He also said Damascus was “open” to a meeting with Hezbollah “if the interest requires”.
A Lebanese official told The National that Mr Al Shibani's visit “had many urgent purposes, but one of the priorities was to discuss what President Trump had suggested about Syrian forces entering Lebanon to confront Hezbollah, and how Al Shara is not taking that path”.
Damascus and Beirut have been working to open a new page in relations since December 2024, when rebel forces led by Mr Al Shara toppled the regime of former Syrian president Bashar Al Assad.
