US Tightens Demands on Syria: Oversight of Jihadists and Hezbollah Issue

The US is tightening its demands on Syria, requiring oversight of foreign jihadist fighters and fair integration of Kurds into the Syrian army, amid the al-Sharaa regime's refusal to take military action against Hezbollah. The Syrian government has not responded and has consulted with Turkey.

The US is tightening its demands on Syria amid the refusal of Ahmed al-Sharaa's regime to take military action against Hezbollah in Lebanon. According to a report in the Lebanese newspaper Al-Modon, in a mid-July meeting Washington raised two key demands: establishing an oversight mechanism for foreign jihadist fighters to prevent future attacks against the US and its allies, and implementing a plan for the "fair integration" of the Kurds (SDF) into the Syrian security system. The Syrian government did not respond to the demands and preferred to study them and consult with Turkey. Meanwhile, Syria presented an initiative to tighten control over its borders with Iraq and Lebanon, and shared examples of weapons seizures. Publicly, al-Sharaa acted cautiously and spoke of cooperation that does not include military involvement inside Lebanon. Syrian officials emphasized that Damascus views Trump's proposals to drag it into a confrontation with Hezbollah as unreasonable. Additionally, Lebanese President Joseph Aoun asked Trump that al-Sharaa not be involved in disarming Hezbollah, arguing that this is a Lebanese internal matter.