Syrian President Ahmad el-Chareh Backs Lebanon's Efforts to Disarm Hezbollah
Key Takeaways
- Syrian President Ahmad el-Chareh supported Lebanon's efforts to disarm Hezbollah.
- He said he stands alongside Lebanese President Joseph Aoun in those efforts.
- He made the statement during a videoconference with senior European officials.
Syria backs Lebanese disarmament
Syrian President Ahmad el-Chareh publicly declared Damascus’ support for Lebanese efforts to disarm Hezbollah, telling senior European officials in a videoconference that "Syria stands with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun" and backing Aoun’s call to remove the group’s arms.
“Latest News - Diplomacy Syrian president says he supports Lebanon in "its efforts to disarm Hezbollah" AFP / March 9, 2026 at 7:14 PM Syrian President Ahmad el-Chareh at the Conference Palace in Damascus, Syria, on February 16, 2026”
The statement, carried by the Syrian state news agency SANA and reported by AFP, frames Syrian policy as aligning with Beirut’s push to reduce Hezbollah’s military role inside Lebanon.
This endorsement comes amid a high-stakes regional escalation and signals Syria’s political alignment with Aoun’s position on Hezbollah.
Regional escalation context
The declaration came against the immediate backdrop of cross-border violence.
Both outlets trace the escalation to Hezbollah-linked missile strikes on March 2 that "drew the country into a wider Iran-linked regional conflict," after which Israel has ramped up shelling of Lebanese territory.
Syrian and Lebanese leaders portray the disarmament push as a response to the dangerously widening clash between Israel and Iran-aligned actors in the region, linking local security measures to broader regional dynamics.
Syrian border deployments
As part of this alignment, Damascus has moved to reinforce its military posture along Lebanon’s and Iraq’s borders.
“Latest News - Diplomacy Syrian president says he supports Lebanon in "its efforts to disarm Hezbollah" AFP / March 9, 2026 at 7:14 PM Syrian President Ahmad el-Chareh at the Conference Palace in Damascus, Syria, on February 16, 2026”
Syrian officials described the troop and security deployments as a precaution to prevent the conflict from spilling into Syrian territory and to combat transborder smuggling and armed groups.
They framed the steps as defensive and focused on border control rather than direct involvement in the Israel-Lebanon fighting.
Hezbollah and Syria logistics
Both reports highlight the long-standing logistical ties between Hezbollah and Syria.
They note those routes were disrupted after the fall of Bashar al-Assad in December 2024.
The reports state that Hezbollah had provided military backing to Assad prior to his ouster.
Since his removal, supply corridors through Syria have been cut, prompting joint Syrian and Lebanese efforts to stem illicit cross-border flows and stabilize frontier security.
Aoun, el-Chareh and Syria
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun's public accusations that Hezbollah sought to provoke Lebanon's collapse on Iran's behalf, and his call for direct talks with Israel to end the war, provide the immediate political rationale for Syria's stance.
“Latest News - Diplomacy Syrian president says he supports Lebanon in "its efforts to disarm Hezbollah" AFP / March 9, 2026 at 7:14 PM Syrian President Ahmad el-Chareh at the Conference Palace in Damascus, Syria, on February 16, 2026”
Both outlets portray el-Chareh's support as dovetailing with Aoun's narrative and with a broader regional effort to prevent further spillover, even as the situation remains volatile and linked to larger Iran-Israel tensions.
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