Media: US plans to withdraw troops from Syria

US President Donald Trump plans to withdraw thousands of American troops from Syria.

Senior officials from the White House shared this intention with Israeli officials, signalling the president's decision to pull out US forces from the region, Caliber.Az reports via Turkish media.

The withdrawal of US forces from Syria is likely to cause considerable concern in Tel Aviv. A Pentagon report from December stated that about 2,000 American troops are currently stationed in Syria. At the same time, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz, who visited the occupied Mount Hermon in Syria on January 28, stressed Israel's intention to maintain its military presence in the area indefinitely after its occupation last month.

“We will not allow hostile forces to establish a foothold in the security zone south of Syria, from here to the Sweida-Damascus axis. We will act against any threat,” said Katz. 

In December, taking advantage of Syrian factions weakening Bashar al-Assad’s regime, Israel expanded its occupation in the Golan Heights by capturing the demilitarized zone on Mount Hermon. 

On December 8, Israeli forces carried out large-scale airstrikes across Syria, targeting military sites, weaponry, and infrastructure, an action that violated Syrian sovereignty and drew international condemnation. Israel announced the collapse of the 1974 Disengagement of Forces Agreement with Syria and deployed its military in the Golan Heights' demilitarized zone, most of which has been under Israeli occupation since 1967. This move has been criticized by the UN and Arab nations.

By Naila Huseynova