Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa has denied that his country sought to intervene militarily in Lebanon, where Israel and Hezbollah are at war, after US President Donald Trump repeatedly suggested Damascus could get involved, AFP reports.

“We are looking for economic channels between Lebanon and Syria, not military ones,” Sharaa has said in an interview broadcast on television channel Al Mashhad.

Trump has told Fox News he is “disappointed Israel can’t put Hezbollah away”, adding in reference to the fight against the group: “I’m close to giving it over to Syria.”

Sharaa says in his interview that “we proposed with the United States that the war must stop,” adding that “there must be various solutions, including economic, political and social, and the re-establishment of relations and the vital economic lifeline between Syria and Lebanon.

“And alongside this, some security measures that respond firstly to Syrian and Lebanese concerns, and also Israeli concerns,” he adds.

Syria offers “many tools for having a positive impact within Lebanon, but this also depends primarily on Lebanon’s agreement”, Sharaa says. “Syria is greatly concerned with Lebanon’s domestic situation because Lebanon’s security and stability are part of Syria’s security and stability.”

Responding to a question about whether he would sit at the table with Hezbollah, Sharaa responds, “If this serves Lebanon’s interests and safeguards Syria’s interests, why not?”