Israeli Officials Surprised by Trump's Decision on Syria

In response to the recent decision by the U.S. President, Israel Katz, the Israeli Minister of Intelligence, stated on Thursday, December 20, that Donald Trump's decision to withdraw U.S. forces from Syria has surprised most officials in Israel. Just a day earlier, the U.S. President announced that the defeat of ISIS was the 'only reason for the U.S. presence' in Syria during his presidency, and American forces would be leaving. According to Reuters, U.S. officials will be transferred from Syria this week, and about 2,000 American troops, primarily involved in training Syrian Kurdish forces, will leave Syria within a timeframe of 60 to 100 days. In reaction to this news, Benjamin Netanyahu, the Prime Minister of Israel, stated on Wednesday evening that the U.S. President had 'informed' him of this during a phone call this week and mentioned that the U.S. would show its influence in the region through 'other means.' The Israeli Minister of Intelligence confirmed this point in his remarks on Thursday. Netanyahu added that Israel would 'study' the timeline of the U.S. troop withdrawal and its effects and consequences while 'being vigilant about its security and self-defense in this arena.' According to Israel's Channel 10, he also said on Thursday during a joint meeting with the President of Cyprus and the Prime Minister of Greece, who were visiting Israel, that 'with U.S. support, we will continue our actions against the Iranian military presence in Syria.' Despite this, Israel Katz, the Minister of Intelligence and a Netanyahu ally, stated in an interview with Walla News that 'the President's position (Trump) was that the U.S. would withdraw its forces from Syria only after Iran had left Syria, but he has changed his decision.' Katz added, 'It would have been better for us if the American military continued to create a buffer between Syria and Iraq to prevent the Shiite land corridor (from Iran to Iraq and then to Syria and Lebanon), but at the same time, Israel cannot tell the U.S. where its troops should enter.' According to this Israeli minister, although ISIS has lost its strategic positions in Syria, it still has a presence in the country because 'ISIS is an ideology.' As reported by Walla News, Trump's position contradicts multiple statements from James Mattis, the U.S. Secretary of Defense, and other senior officials who emphasized that U.S. forces would have a 'long-term' presence in Syria to ensure that ISIS does not rise again. A series of reactions from Israeli military experts and articles in the country's media show that Israel, surprised by Trump's decision, views the withdrawal of U.S. forces from Syria as beneficial to Iran and Bashar al-Assad. The Walla News website, close to Netanyahu's government, wrote on Thursday that this decision 'opens the Tehran-Beirut road' and allows Qassem Soleimani, the commander of the Quds Force of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, to 'drive by land to the Dahiyeh (the Shiite area in southern Beirut and the main base of Hezbollah).' According to Walla, the withdrawal of U.S. forces from Syria is 'a severe blow' to Israel's northern border. The Jerusalem Post also quoted Seng Saganik, an expert on Kurdish affairs at the Dayan Center, stating, 'Ambiguity in U.S. foreign policy is dangerous for all of its allies in the Middle East... and the withdrawal of Israel's most effective ally from Syria while much work remains there will lead to chaos.' Seth Frentzman, a reporter for the Jerusalem Post who is in contact with the Kurds in the region, wrote on Thursday that the U.S. decision 'weakens its hand against Iran and plunges eastern Syria into chaos.' For about three years, Israel has regarded the Iranian military presence in Syria as a serious threat and has conducted hundreds of airstrikes against 'Iranian targets and their allies' in Syria.