Israel's official broadcaster, Kan, reported on Wednesday evening that the United States is preparing to reduce its military forces in Syria by half within two months.
اضافة اعلان
Citing unnamed sources, Kan stated that the U.S. plans to cut its troop presence in Syria—currently estimated at around 2,000 personnel—by half, maintaining only 1,000 troops on the ground.
These forces have been stationed in Syria since the campaign against the terrorist group ISIS, with the aim of preventing the organization from regaining a foothold in the region.
The report also referred to developments in Syria's Deir ez-Zor province, where U.S. troops have reportedly begun vacating one of their bases, or at least removing significant military equipment from it.
Kan described the anticipated reduction as a "small step" by the Pentagon within a broader plan to downsize U.S. military presence globally.
On Tuesday, Israel’s Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper also quoted unnamed sources saying that U.S. officials had informed Israeli security officials of a planned gradual withdrawal from Syria starting in two months.
The report added that Israel had tried to prevent the U.S. pullout, but was told its efforts had failed. Nevertheless, Israeli security agencies continue to pressure Washington to keep its troops in Syria.
Separately, two U.S. officials told Reuters on Tuesday that the American military is preparing to consolidate its forces in Syria in the coming weeks and months, potentially reducing their number by half.
The roughly 2,000 U.S. troops are currently spread across several bases—mostly in northeastern Syria—and work alongside local forces to prevent the resurgence of ISIS, which once seized large areas of Iraq and Syria in 2014 before being defeated.
In 2018, during his first term, then-President Donald Trump attempted a full withdrawal of U.S. forces from Syria, leading to the resignation of Defense Secretary Jim Mattis at the time.
Since 1967, Israel has occupied most of the Golan Heights, and took advantage of the chaos in Syria following the fall of Bashar al-Assad's regime, occupying the buffer zone and declaring the collapse of the 1974 disengagement agreement between the two sides.
Despite the new Syrian government led by President Ahmed Al-Sharaa not posing any direct threat to Tel Aviv, Israel continues to carry out near-daily airstrikes on Syria, targeting and destroying military positions, vehicles, and ammunition depots—often killing civilians as well.
