U.S. Set to Withdraw Troops from Syria: Israel Scrambles to Respond

Watan-The United States has informed the Israeli occupation state that it will soon begin withdrawing its forces from Syria, according to the Hebrew-language Walla news website on Wednesday. The site reported that American security officials notified Israel’s security establishment that the U.S. will begin a gradual military withdrawal from Syria within two months. Israel had been attempting to prevent this move, but recently received confirmation that its efforts have failed.

Despite this, the Israeli security establishment continues to pressure Washington to reverse the decision. Former President Donald Trump’s intention to withdraw U.S. troops is not surprising, as he had announced from the beginning his desire to pull American soldiers out of the region, saying, “This is not our war.” The Pentagon has long been working on related plans, and according to the Hebrew site, Washington is now preparing to move into the operational phase, updating Tel Aviv on its steps. Israeli officials expressed deep concern during discussions between the two sides over the implications of this decision.

A senior Israeli official said he believes the withdrawal—if it happens—will be partial, and even that, Israel is trying to prevent. Their concern is that it may escalate tensions with Turkey, which is openly working to strengthen its influence in the region following the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime. U.S. forces are currently stationed in several strategic areas in eastern and northern Syria, contributing to regional stability. Israeli officials believe their withdrawal could increase “Turkey’s appetite” to seize more strategic military assets in the area.

Both sides showed interest in reducing tensions and began talks to establish a coordination mechanism similar to the Israeli-Russian model that managed Israeli Air Force operations in Syria. However, the planned U.S. withdrawal, coupled with Trump’s praise for Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan during his meeting last week with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, has increased alertness within the Israeli security establishment.

Israel does not necessarily view Trump’s suggestion to mediate between Israel and Turkey as reassuring, especially if U.S. forces leave. Accordingly, the Hebrew site noted that Israeli security sources have described recent attacks on the T4 base as a “race against time before the Americans leave.”

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said his country opposes threats against Syria and will continue efforts to coordinate with relevant parties, including Israel and the United States, to avoid aerial clashes over Syria. In a press conference at the Antalya Diplomatic Forum last Sunday, Fidan said Turkish-Israeli talks in Azerbaijan discussed ways to prevent any confrontation in Syria, whether between Israel or the U.S.

Fidan explained: “Our goal is to prevent aircraft in the area from causing an incident.” He also noted that President Erdoğan intends to visit Syria when the conditions are right. Fidan added that Turkey contributes to addressing Syria’s security needs on both technical and military levels and is in talks to avoid confrontation with Israel and prevent incidents.

Turkish Deputy Foreign Minister Nuh Yılmaz stated last Saturday that the technical meeting between Turkish and Israeli delegations in Azerbaijan was not a diplomatic meeting but a mechanism to avoid aerial clashes over Syria. He said that discussions about normalizing relations with Israel can only happen after the genocide in Gaza ends and a ceasefire is reached.

Yılmaz asserted that Israel is seeking to create chaos in Syria to justify its military presence by targeting security sites, warning that ISIS may be used as a pretext to solidify this presence. In statements to Anadolu Agency, Yılmaz said that Turkey, Iraq, Syria, Jordan, and Lebanon will work together to combat the ISIS terrorist organization in the region. He emphasized that counterterrorism is a “strategic issue for Turkey,” stating that while the terrorism issue in Syria is important for Turkey, it is primarily a sovereignty issue for the Syrian administration. He urged the administration to eliminate terrorism to regain full control of the country.

Yılmaz stressed that ISIS poses a threat to the entire region and that Turkey’s fight against it is based on real and tangible concerns. He added: “The main problem here is the intervention of foreign powers in the region under the pretext of the ISIS threat.” Yılmaz pointed out that “this issue is not only Turkey’s problem, but one for all regional countries.

That is why Turkey, Iraq, Syria, Jordan, and Lebanon have come together to create a joint mechanism to combat this threat.” He explained that as part of this mechanism, a joint operations center will be established, and the decision for that has already been made. He noted that necessary measures will be implemented through this center, which “will remove the pretext for foreign intervention in the region,” as he put it.