Trump urges Netanyahu to withdraw troops from Syria, Lebanon
US President Donald Trump urged Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, during a phone call between them on Thursday, to start withdrawing Israeli forces from Syrian territory and called on him to proceed with redeployment operations in Lebanon, according to US and Israeli officials.
A U.S. official told Axios that Trump told Netanyahu that Israel's military presence in Syria "exacerbates tensions and may lead to an escalation," adding that he told him, "They don't want you there.. You should redeploy," the official said, adding that the same situation applies to Lebanon.
The call came the day after Trump's meeting with President Ahmed al-Shara on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Turkey, and according to the website, Trump's demands come at a time when Netanyahu is facing increasing political pressure ahead of elections crucial for his political survival, as he is unlikely to make a broad withdrawal from areas occupied by Israel in Syria or additional steps in Lebanon beyond what he previously agreed.
Netanyahu's office "rejects"
On the other hand, "Axios" quoted Netanyahu's office as saying that during the meeting, the Israeli prime minister raised the need to establish security zones along Israel's "borders", as a necessary step in his view to ensure security.
The White House declined to comment on the details of the call, but did not deny what had been reported. A US official told Axios: "President Trump has a strong relationship with Prime Minister Netanyahu, and Israel has always been a great ally of the United States.There has never been a greater friend of Israel or a greater supporter of peace than President Trump."
According to US officials, the Trump administration has tried over the past months to reach a new security agreement between Israel and Syria, including a gradual withdrawal of the Israeli army from the areas it controlled after the political change in Syria (the fall of the Assad regime) at the end of 2024, but concluded that Netanyahu is unwilling to make the required concessions.
The Israeli occupation establishes a hospital and clinics in the western countryside of Damascus
These developments come in parallel with the Israeli occupation forces starting to build a hospital inside the town of Qal'at Jandal, 45 km northwest of Damascus, in a dangerous development that reflects the occupation's plans towards southern Syria and its lack of intention to withdraw from the territories it occupied after December 2024., according to local sources.
The sources added that the occupation was not limited to the hospital project in Jandal Castle, but had previously established medical clinics in the town of Raymah in the Jabal al-Sheikh area, in parallel with providing food and medical aid to the residents of a number of villages.
Local sources in the countryside of Quneitra pointed out that during the past month, the occupation forces collected population data and carried out a population survey and a field questionnaire, in a move that analysts interpreted as a dangerous development and escalation, in addition to targeting the educational process by detaining the buses of basic certificate students between Maaria and Abdeen.
Local reports documented the Israeli occupation forces bulldozing dozens of dunums in addition to installing an iron gate west of the town of Al-Rafid, about 300 meters inside Syrian territory, which led to the gnawing of nearly a thousand dunums of agricultural land.
Conclusion of the Rome Round of Negotiations
The developments also coincided with the end of a round of direct negotiations between Lebanon and Israel in the Italian capital, Rome, under the auspices of the United States, after a meeting that lasted about five hours between the delegations of the two countries.
The talks discussed the mechanisms for implementing the "Framework Agreement" and the path of establishing "test zones", with the participation of a US military delegation, in light of the continuing disputes over the Israeli withdrawal and violations on the ground.
The agreement stipulates that Israel will withdraw from two test areas in southern Lebanon and allow the Lebanese army to deploy there, but Israeli forces have not yet begun to implement redeployment.
The Lebanese side is demanding a clear timetable for completing the withdrawal, while Israel says it wants to first make sure those areas are free of Hezbollah weapons and infrastructure .