ALBAWABA- The United States has announced it will begin a phased withdrawal of its forces from Syria within the next two months, raising concerns in Israel and prompting efforts to prevent the move due to fears that Turkey may fill the vacuum and seize control of more strategic assets in post-conflict Syria.
According to U.S. defense officials, the decision has been communicated to Israeli counterparts, with plans to start the withdrawal by the end of May.
Currently, U.S. forces maintain 17 bases and 13 military posts across Syria, the majority of which are located in the northeast.
While the withdrawal will be gradual, officials indicate that at least one major U.S. base may remain operational.
Between 2014 and 2017, the U.S. Department of Defense announced the deployment of approximately 2,000 American troops to Syrian territory as part of the campaign against ISIS.
Following the terrorist group’s defeat, former President Donald Trump reduced the number to around 900 troops during his first term, particularly after the U.S. pullback that coincided with Turkey’s launch of "Operation Peace Spring" against Kurdish armed groups in northeastern Syria in October 2019.
With the fall of the Assad regime and Iran’s defeat in Syria, the primary role of U.S. forces shifted to countering residual ISIS cells.
Now, under a new Syrian government supported by regional and European actors, the U.S. is signaling a more serious intention to exit, aligning with repeated calls from Donald Trump, who has long maintained that “Washington has no stake in Syria.”
