The top U.S. commander in the Middle East praised Syria on Friday for thwarting attempts to smuggle weapons to Hezbollah in Lebanon.
“Congratulations to Syria’s security forces for recently interdicting multiple weapons shipments. These shipments were intended for Lebanese Hezbollah,” said U.S. Central Command chief Adm. Brad Cooper.
“The United States and our regional partners have a shared interest in ensuring the disarmament of Lebanese Hezbollah and in preserving peace and stability across the Middle East,” the statement continued.
On Nov. 10, U.S. President Donald Trump hosted Ahmed al-Sharaa at the White House in the first visit by a Syrian president to 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.
During his visit to Washington, al-Sharaa said that Jerusalem needs to withdraw its forces in Syria to the positions they held before the Assad regime fell on Dec. 8, 2024, for a security agreement with Damascus to cross the finish line.
“We are engaged in direct negotiations with Israel, and we have gone a good distance on the way to reach an agreement. But to reach a final agreement, Israel should withdraw to their pre-Dec. 8 borders,” the former U.S.-listed foreign terrorist told The Washington Post.
After the fall of the Assad regime in December 2024, Jerusalem seized control of parts of southern Syria, expanding a security zone and maintaining a military presence amid ongoing clashes and airstrikes.
Less than a week after six Israeli soldiers were wounded in clashes in the village of Beit Jinn in southern Syria, Trump on Tuesday said in a post on Truth Social that it was important that “nothing takes place that will interfere with Syria’s evolution into a prosperous state.”
Trump wrote that the new president of Syria is “working diligently to make sure good things happen, and that both Syria and Israel will have a long and prosperous relationship together.”
It was “very important that Israel maintain a strong and true dialogue with Syria,” he added.
