JERUSALEM – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sought on Sunday tocalm domestic concerns over US President Donald Trump’s decision towithdraw from Syria, saying his country will still act against Iran there.
Trump last week said the Islamic State group had been defeated and he waswithdrawing the United States’ 2,000 troops from Syria.
Israel has seen the US presence in neighbouring Syria as a bulwark againstits main enemy Iran and a counterweight to Russia.
Both Russia and Iran support Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s regime inthe country’s civil war.
“The decision to remove the 2,000 US soldiers from Syria won’t change ourconsistent policy,” Netanyahu said at the start of a cabinet meeting.
“We will continue to act against Iran’s attempt to establish a militarypresence in Syria, and if the need arises, we will even expand ouractivities there.”
He added that he wanted to “calm those concerned.”
“Our cooperation with the United States continues full-force, and takesplace in many fields — the operational field, the intelligence field, andmany other security fields.”
Trump’s decision to withdraw from Syria — as well as reduce forces inAfghanistan — led US Defence Secretary Jim Mattis to quit in disagreement.
The US special envoy to the coalition fighting the Islamic State, BrettMcGurk, has also resigned.
The withdrawal abruptly ends American influence in the war-ravaged countryand gives Turkey an opening to attack US-backed Kurds in Syria.
But Israel is particularly concerned about the presence of Iran there aswell as Hezbollah, the Lebanese Shiite group backed by Tehran.
Israel has carried out hundreds of air strikes in Syria against what itsays are Iranian military targets and advanced weapons deliveries toHezbollah.
A friendly fire incident in September that led to a Russian plane beingdowned by Syrian air defences during an Israeli strike has howevercomplicated Israeli operations there.
Russia subsequently upgraded Syrian air defences with the delivery of theadvanced S-300 system, which Damascus had said would make Israel “thinkcarefully” before carrying out further air raids. – APP/AFP