The Pentagon’s announcement on April 18 about reducing approximately half of the American forces that have been stationed in Syria for nearly a decade signals an ongoing development rather than a final decision about the future US presence there. The announcement itself was not surprising, especially considering that during Trump’s first term in 2019, he was close to withdrawing the US forces and only reversed the decision at the last moment. The primary goal of the US presence in Syria has been to prevent the resurgence of ISIS after its defeat in 2019. It should be noted that the number of US forces in Syria has fluctuated over the years. In fact, the current reduction brings the troop levels back to what they were before the fall of the Bashar al-Assad regime in December 2024.
The actor pressuring the United States to withdraw its forces from Syria is Turkey, which views the cooperation between the American forces and the Kurdish-led forces in Syria—who played a key role in defeating ISIS—as having an element of support for Kurdish terrorism against Turkey. To achieve a full US withdrawal, Turkey will need to convince Washington that it can assume responsibility for preventing a resurgence of ISIS. However, in the past, Turkey showed reluctance to fully commit to the fight against ISIS and did not deploy all of its capabilities for that purpose. In addition, Turkey will need to assure the United States that it will not target the Kurdish minority in northeastern Syria. In general, the discussions between Washington and Ankara regarding Syria are more comprehensive and also include Turkey’s efforts to present the new Syrian president, Ahmed al-Sharaa, as a legitimate partner, despite his jihadist background and that of some of his associates.
Israel has applied pressure on the United States to keep its forces in Syria, arguing that the US withdrawal would only increase Turkish dominance in Syria in the post-Assad era. Israel is also concerned that such a move would enable Turkey to undermine the Kurdish-led autonomous entity in northeastern Syria. From Israel’s perspective, a full withdrawal of American forces would represent a gain for Turkey and a setback for Israel. However, if the Americans condition the withdrawal of their forces on Turkish concessions—such as reducing Turkey’s military presence in Syria, as well as a promise to grant rights to the Kurds in Syria under the leadership of al-Sharaa—this could help mitigate the threat posed by the new Syria toward Israel.
The Pentagon’s announcement on April 18 about reducing approximately half of the American forces that have been stationed in Syria for nearly a decade signals an ongoing development rather than a final decision about the future US presence there. The announcement itself was not surprising, especially considering that during Trump’s first term in 2019, he was close to withdrawing the US forces and only reversed the decision at the last moment. The primary goal of the US presence in Syria has been to prevent the resurgence of ISIS after its defeat in 2019. It should be noted that the number of US forces in Syria has fluctuated over the years. In fact, the current reduction brings the troop levels back to what they were before the fall of the Bashar al-Assad regime in December 2024.
The actor pressuring the United States to withdraw its forces from Syria is Turkey, which views the cooperation between the American forces and the Kurdish-led forces in Syria—who played a key role in defeating ISIS—as having an element of support for Kurdish terrorism against Turkey. To achieve a full US withdrawal, Turkey will need to convince Washington that it can assume responsibility for preventing a resurgence of ISIS. However, in the past, Turkey showed reluctance to fully commit to the fight against ISIS and did not deploy all of its capabilities for that purpose. In addition, Turkey will need to assure the United States that it will not target the Kurdish minority in northeastern Syria. In general, the discussions between Washington and Ankara regarding Syria are more comprehensive and also include Turkey’s efforts to present the new Syrian president, Ahmed al-Sharaa, as a legitimate partner, despite his jihadist background and that of some of his associates.
Israel has applied pressure on the United States to keep its forces in Syria, arguing that the US withdrawal would only increase Turkish dominance in Syria in the post-Assad era. Israel is also concerned that such a move would enable Turkey to undermine the Kurdish-led autonomous entity in northeastern Syria. From Israel’s perspective, a full withdrawal of American forces would represent a gain for Turkey and a setback for Israel. However, if the Americans condition the withdrawal of their forces on Turkish concessions—such as reducing Turkey’s military presence in Syria, as well as a promise to grant rights to the Kurds in Syria under the leadership of al-Sharaa—this could help mitigate the threat posed by the new Syria toward Israel.