US President-elect Donald Trump said on Saturday that the United States should avoid involvement in the ongoing conflict in Syria, where rebel forces are challenging the government of President Bashar al-Assad.
In a post on his platform Truth Social, Trump wrote, “Syria is a mess, but is not our friend, & the United States should have nothing to do with it. This is not our fight. Let it play out. Do not get involved!”
Trump noted that Russia, a key ally of Assad, is preoccupied with its war in Ukraine, which has limited its ability to counter the rebel advances in Syria. He added that if Russia were to be forced out of Syria, it “may actually be the best thing that can happen to them,” suggesting that Russia’s involvement in Syria has offered little benefit.
Trump’s comments come as Syrian rebels, led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and allied groups, announced on Saturday that they have begun encircling Damascus, the capital controlled by government forces.
The HTS-led offensive, launched on November 27, marks one of the most significant challenges to President Bashar al-Assad’s authority in years, after a period of relative dormancy in Syria’s civil war, which began in 2011 during a crackdown on democracy protests.
Lebanon said it is closing all its land borders with Syria except one that links Beirut with Damascus. Jordan also closed a border crossing with Syria because of the security situation on the Syrian side.
Meanwhile, the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, a longtime ally of Assad, has deployed 2,000 fighters to an area near Syria’s border with Lebanon, news agency AFP reported.
Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov pressed for the need to prevent Syria from falling into the hands of what he described as “terrorist” rebels. Speaking at an event in Qatar, Lavrov said, “It’s inadmissible to allow the terrorist group to take control of the lands in violation of agreements which exist, starting with the UN Security Council Resolution 2254,” referring to the 2015 resolution advocating for a political solution and preserving Syria’s sovereignty, territorial integrity, and unity.