Israel Furious at Trump Over Turkey, Syria to Invade Lebanon - Colonel Douglas Macgregor (Video)

In this 26 June 2026 published video, host Mario Nawfal talks with Colonel Douglas Macgregor..

Israeli officials are deeply frustrated with US President Donald Trump over his proposals suggesting that Syrian forces should enter Lebanon to dismantle Hezbollah, a move Israel warns would open its northern border to a massive security crisis involving Turkey and Islamist extremist groups. The tension stems from a major diplomatic shift in late June 2026, where a US-Iran peace deal orchestrated by Donald Trump has sidelined Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s ongoing military objectives.

Facing difficulties in securing a permanent Israeli military withdrawal from a fragile Lebanese ceasefire zone, Trump publicly suggested that Israel “let Syria take care of Hezbollah” rather than continuing endless cross-border warfare.  : Prime Minister Netanyahu immediately called an emergency security meeting regarding potential Syrian and Turkish movement on the border. Israeli intelligence strongly opposes a Syrian military return to Lebanon, fearing it would create a catastrophic domino effect. 

Israeli security officials speaking to local networks like N12 compared Trump’s plan to “tossing a match into a powder keg”.  Handing over security responsibilities to Syria—which is currently navigating its own severe internal power dynamic between Damascus forces and northern rebel groups—could inadvertently draw Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s sphere of influence directly to Israel’s northern border. Israeli officials explicitly warned that a Syrian re-entry to manage Hezbollah would crack open a security vacuum, inviting groups like Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (formerly aligned with al-Qaeda) to advance through Lebanon. Israel fears a complete reset back to the pre-2005 era when Syrian forces occupied and dictated Lebanon’s security apparatus.

The breakdown in communication has triggered an unprecedented public rift between longtime allies Trump and Netanyahu. Broadcasters like DW News and independent defense analysts report that Israel feels fundamentally “betrayed” by the US-Iran memorandum of understanding. While Damascus has officially denied plans for a military intervention—stating they are seeking economic rather than military ties with Beirut—Israeli defense officials remain on high alert, reinforcing that the IDF retains complete military freedom of action and will not rely on regional adversaries for its security enforcement. 

https://youtu.be/2FJkAL-w4UA