Israeli press reported that the US will begin withdrawing troops from Syria gradually within 2 months and allegedly informed the Tel Aviv administration. Israel is said to be attempting to prevent this move due to fears that Turkey will assume a greater strategic presence in the new Syria.

According to the Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper in Israel, the Tel Aviv administration has attempted to prevent the US from withdrawing its military assets from Syria. It was noted that Israel is trying to block this move out of fear that Turkey will assume a greater strategic presence in the new Syria. The report reminded that President Donald Trump had previously announced his intention to withdraw troops from Syria and claimed that the Pentagon, which has long been working on withdrawal plans and preparing to implement them, informed the Israelis about this.

“ISRAELI OFFICIALS VOICED THEIR CONCERNS” Israeli officials are said to have “expressed serious concerns” but it was reported that this did not have an impact on the US withdrawal decision.

According to a senior Israeli official, the withdrawal of troops from northern Syria by the US carries the potential to increase tensions between Turkey and Israel and Turkey’s appetite to control “more strategic military points in Syria.” The report mentioned that the US withdrawal process from Syria and what President Trump said about President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in a meeting at the White House last week with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has put Israeli security institutions on alert. Israeli officials reportedly did not find Trump’s mediation offer “reassuring.” It was mentioned that the attacks Israel carried out recently on the T4 military base in the town of Tadmur (Palmyra) in the Homs province in Syria, where Turkey is said to be stationed, were aimed at delaying Turkey’s deployment before the US withdrawal and were seen as a “race against time” before US troops began to withdraw. It was reported that the possibility of Turkey limiting Israel’s freedom of movement in Syria and posing a potential threat to the Syrian territories currently under Israeli occupation has scared Israel.