Al-Sharaa: Lebanon’s stability is a priority... and Damascus is not considering military intervention

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa warned of the risks of deteriorating conditions in Lebanon, expressing دمشق’s concern over the possibility of an internal explosion, while stressing at the same time that his country does not intend to intervene militarily in Lebanese affairs, and remains committed to supporting state institutions and ensuring that arms are held exclusively by the state.

In an interview with Al Jazeera, carried by the SANA news agency, al-Sharaa stressed that Syria supports restricting weapons to the hands of the Lebanese state, considering that the experience of weapons existing outside state institutions over past decades has proven a failure and produced catastrophic repercussions for Lebanon and the region.

He pointed out that the geographic interconnection between the two countries makes Lebanon’s stability part of Syria’s stability, noting that Damascus supports the centrality of the Lebanese state and its monopoly over enforcing the law and the use of force, while recalling Hezbollah’s participation alongside the former Syrian regime during the war years.

Al-Sharaa affirmed that the agreement between Lebanon and Israel is entirely different from the path Syria is pursuing, expressing pessimism about its chances of success because of what he described as the many loopholes affecting it.

Regarding the Syrian file, he explained that Damascus is working to formulate a security agreement with the participation of several countries to pressure Israel and avoid sliding into new confrontations, considering that the success of this track could open the door to a later phase of comprehensive peace, without any concession on Syria’s right to the occupied Golan, while reaffirming its support for the establishment of a Palestinian state within the Arab framework.

Al-Sharaa criticized the continued support for armed groups linked to regional powers outside the authority of states, considering that these policies have contributed to destabilizing the region, and called for adopting an independent regional approach away from polarization between Israeli and Iranian policies.