Hezbollah fears Israel-Syria alignment as regional tensions converge

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa allegedly told officials during a closed meeting that “now it is Hezbollah’s turn.”

By World Israel News Staff

A report in the Lebanese newspaper Al-Akhbar, which is closely aligned with Hezbollah, warned of a dangerous escalation along Lebanon’s eastern and northern borders amid mounting regional tensions tied to Iran.

According to the report, senior Lebanese officials were briefed on remarks attributed to Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, who allegedly told officials from Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, a powerful Islamist group in Syria, during a closed meeting that “now it is Hezbollah’s turn” and that Syria would not “forget its revenge.”

If accurate, the comments point to a sharp deterioration in relations between Damascus and Hezbollah, longtime allies during Syria’s civil war.

Al-Akhbar said Lebanese political and security circles fear that any U.S. military strike against Iran could quickly spill over into Lebanon, turning the country once again into an arena for regional confrontation.

Sources cited in the report warned that in the event of a broader war with Iran, Lebanon “will not be left out,” but could face direct military, political, and security pressure.

The same sources claimed the escalating rhetoric is partly rooted in a political shift by al-Sharaa following his meeting last December with President Donald Trump, after which the Syrian leader publicly declared Syria’s participation in a U.S.-led campaign against terrorism.

That repositioning has intensified friction with Iran-backed actors, particularly Hezbollah.

Security sources quoted by Al-Akhbar also pointed to what they described as unusual military deployments along the Syrian-Lebanese border.

These reportedly include fighters from Chechnya, Uzbekistan, and Uighur groups, some with ties to extremist factions and a history of mass violence, redeployed from former front lines near areas once controlled by the Syrian Democratic Forces.

The sources warned that the presence of such units raises serious questions about their intended role.

In particularly alarming language, the report claimed that elements of these preparations are being carried out in indirect coordination with Israel, describing the introduction of forces “specializing in massacres” into the border theater as a highly dangerous signal rather than a routine military move.

The backdrop to the tensions is Hezbollah’s declining position in Syria following the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime in late 2024.

During the civil war, Hezbollah played a central role in propping up Assad and facilitating Iranian arms transfers.

Since Assad’s collapse, however, Syria’s new leadership has sought to curb Iranian influence, block weapons smuggling to Hezbollah, and tighten control of the Lebanon–Syria border, leading to repeated clashes.

At the same time, regional dynamics involving Israel are shifting rapidly. Last month, reports indicated that Syrian and Israeli officials could soon meet under U.S. mediation to advance a security agreement, with discussions potentially expanding to joint strategic and economic projects.

Sources close to al-Sharaa have even suggested the possibility of Syria joining the Abraham Accords and opening an Israeli embassy in Damascus, developments that would further marginalize Hezbollah.

Hezbollah, for its part, has repeatedly rejected demands to disarm. Israel has continued to carry out strikes against what it describes as Hezbollah military infrastructure and imminent threats in Lebanon and Syria.

According to multiple reports, President Trump has given Israel a green light to launch a major operation against Hezbollah after Beirut failed to meet a U.S. deadline to dismantle the group.

Against this backdrop, Lebanese officials fear that the convergence of Syrian realignment, Israeli military pressure, and potential U.S. action against Iran could ignite a new and highly volatile phase on Lebanon’s borders.

Ahmed al-SharaaHezbollahIran threatSyria-Israel relations