‘Syria is a mess’: Donald Trump avers US should ‘not get involved’ in war

US President-elect Donald Trump said Saturday that the United States should “not get involved” in the situation in Syria, where fast-moving rebel forces say they have begun to encircle the capital Damascus.

“Syria is a mess, but is not our friend, & THE UNITED STATES SHOULD HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH IT. THIS IS NOT OUR FIGHT. LET IT PLAY OUT. DO NOT GET INVOLVED!” Trump said on his Truth Social platform.

He posted the message shortly before he was to meet with French President Emmanuel Macron while in Paris for the reopening ceremony of Notre Dame cathedral.

Trump claimed that Russia, an Assad backer, “seems incapable of stopping this literal march through Syria, a country they have protected for years” due to its involvement in a conflict with Ukraine.

The President-elect stated that forcing Russia out of the country “may actually be the best thing that can happen to them” because “there was never much of a benefit in Syria for Russia.”