Syrian President Ahmad Al Shara said he would be willing to sit down with Hezbollah if doing so helped protect the interests of both his country and Lebanon, despite describing the Iran-backed militant group's role in Syria's civil war as a "big wound".
In an interview broadcast on Dubai-based Al Mashhad TV on Sunday, Mr Al Shara said dialogue should continue even amid conflict. He stressed that Damascus wanted to address the issue of Hezbollah without pushing Lebanon into the kind of devastation Syria experienced during more than a decade of war.
"We don’t want Lebanon to fall into what Syria fell into in the past, because the aftermath of wars and conflicts is bloody," said Mr Al Shara. "It is time for the region to put an end to wars and conflicts and move towards development and reconstruction."
Responding to a question about whether he would sit for talks with Hezbollah, the Syrian leader said that "if this serves Lebanon's interests and safeguards Syria's interests, why not?"
Hezbollah fought alongside Syria's former Syrian Bashar Al Assad throughout much of the civil war. The militia stood against rebel groups, including Mr Al Shara's Hayat Tahrir Al Sham.
"We have a big wound," he said, referring to Hezbollah's actions in Syria. "We are still searching for the bones of our children in the streets and in mass graves, and Hezbollah is complicit in this major crime that took place in Syria."
"We have a deep problem with Hezbollah, but we do not want the whole of Lebanon to die. That said, we want to solve the problem of Hezbollah while keeping Lebanon alive," added Mr Al Shara.
No military intervention
Mr Al Shara denied that his country sought to intervene militarily in Lebanon, after US President Donald Trump repeatedly suggested Damascus could get involved. "We are looking for economic channels between Lebanon and Syria, not military ones," he said.
Mr Trump told Fox News on Sunday that he was "disappointed Israel can't put Hezbollah away".
"They can't do anything without knocking buildings down,” said Mr Trump. "I'm close to giving it over to Syria," he added, referring to the fight against Hezbollah.
Mr Trump floated the same idea in and interview with US broadcaster NBC earlier this month and at the G7 summit last week. He said that "if Israel can't do the job [against Hezbollah] without killing everyone else, then he [Mr Al Shara] will do the job. Syria will do the job."
The idea of any military role for Syria in Lebanon is highly sensitive and evokes memories of Syria's occupation of the country between 1976 and 2005.
The war between Israel and Hezbollah has persisted despite several ceasefires declared from Washington since April. Israel has never halted its Lebanon campaign, which has killed thousands of people and forced about 1.2 million to flee their homes. Hezbollah has also continued its attacks on Israel.
Last week, the militant group said that it would not accept a ceasefire unless Israeli troops withdraw from Lebanon.
Mr Al Shara said Syria offered "many tools for having a positive impact within Lebanon, but this also depends primarily on Lebanon's agreement".
"Today, the situation in Lebanon requires collective solutions and it is very possible to rely on Syria to seek a safe path towards a solution, but this does not mean war, nor does it mean the previous image of the former regime's tutelage," he added. "Rather, it means restoring support for the Lebanese state, strengthening its institutions and searching for channels of communication between Lebanon's political parties, including Hezbollah."
