Speaking on the sidelines at the Group of Seven summit alongside Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, U.S. President Donald Trump criticized Israel's campaign in Lebanon, saying it went too far, and added that he thought Syria would do a better job of fighting Lebanon's Hezbollah than the Israelis, Bloomberg reported on June 16. The comments came as Trump has increasingly criticized Israel's regional policies that threaten to upend the Iran-U.S. memorandum of understanding.

On June 15, a Syrian presidential advisor told Al Arabiya that Syria has little interest in joining the conflict in Lebanon despite U.S. suggestions to do so. Syria's current provisional government battled Hezbollah as rebels during the Syrian civil war, and has since taken steps to cut off Hezbollah's supply lines to Iran through its territory. However, Syria's own security forces are still rebuilding after years of civil war.