Syrian President al-Sharaa Expresses Support for Lebanon's Efforts to Disarm Hezbollah

(Patria) - Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa on Monday expressed support for his Lebanese counterpart Joseph Aoun in his efforts to disarm Hezbollah, Al Arabiya reported.

The Middle East war spread to Lebanon on March 2nd, after Hezbollah, supported by Tehran, fired rockets towards Israel in response to the assassination of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei on the first day of US-Israeli attacks on Iran, which provoked an Israeli retaliation.

Hezbollah refuses to lay down its arms and says it will fight Israel by all means.

Since March 2nd, Israel has been carrying out large-scale air strikes on Lebanon and ground incursions, killing at least 486 people, according to the Lebanese Ministry of Health.

"We stand with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun in disarming Hezbollah," al-Sharaa said during a video conference with senior European officials.

The Syrian army has intensified the deployment of its troops on the country's borders with Lebanon and Iraq, a source from the Syrian government told AFP on Wednesday.
"We have strengthened our defensive forces along the border as a precautionary measure to prevent the consequences of the conflict from spilling over into Syrian territory, and to combat cross-border organizations and prevent them from using Syrian soil," Sharaa said.

On Monday, Aoun accused Hezbollah of aiming to "disintegrate" the Lebanese state with its decision to launch rockets towards Israel.

Hezbollah, supported by Iran, was a prominent ally of former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, sending forces to help him in the war.

Assad's rule ended in December 2024, and was replaced by authorities hostile to Hezbollah and establishing close ties with the United States.