Trump Pushes Israel to Redeploy Out of Southern Lebanon and Syria — Says New Syrian President Can Handle Hezbollah Better Than the IDF

In a diplomatic development that is reshaping the contours of American Middle East policy in real time, President Donald Trump has signaled that he wants Israeli forces to redeploy out of portions of southern Lebanon and withdraw entirely from southern Syria — and his reasoning is as striking as the request itself. According to Fox News correspondent Trey Yingst, Trump believes that Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa is better positioned than the Israeli Defense Forces to deal with Hezbollah threats along Syria's borders, arguing that al-Sharaa's forces would be more precise and more effective in neutralizing the Iran-backed militant group in the specific terrain and political context of the region. The position represents a significant and nuanced recalibration of how the Trump administration views the post-Assad Middle East, one that puts considerable trust in a Syrian leader who, just over a year ago, was commanding an armed rebel organization fighting to topple a decades-long dictatorship.

Ahmed al-Sharaa's rise is one of the most remarkable political transformations in recent Middle Eastern history. As the former commander of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, al-Sharaa led the rebel coalition that stunned the world by overthrowing Bashar al-Assad in late 2024, ending more than five decades of Assad family rule over Syria. He assumed the Syrian presidency in January 2025, and rather than being treated as a pariah by Washington, al-Sharaa has cultivated a working relationship with the Trump administration that has included face-to-face meetings at the White House — a testament to Trump's transactional, results-driven approach to foreign policy that prioritizes stability and outcomes over ideological purity. Trump's decision to back al-Sharaa as the man to manage Hezbollah in southern Syria reflects a calculated bet that a strong, sovereign Syrian government with a stake in regional order is a more durable solution than an extended Israeli military presence on foreign soil.

The implications of Trump's position are significant for Israel, for Lebanon, and for the broader regional balance of power. Israel has maintained a military footprint in parts of southern Lebanon and southern Syria since its 2024 military campaigns, citing the need to prevent Hezbollah from reconstituting its forces and rearming along its northern borders. Trump's push for redeployment does not represent an abandonment of Israel's security — the President has been unambiguous throughout his tenure about his commitment to the Jewish state — but rather a strategic judgment that a reshuffled approach, with Syria's new government taking a more active role in policing Hezbollah, could achieve the same security objectives with fewer long-term complications. It is a bold and characteristically unconventional Trump move, and whether al-Sharaa can deliver on the confidence the administration is placing in him will be one of the defining tests of this new chapter in American Middle East engagement.