JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has threatened to expand operations against Iranians in Syria and has insisted on continuing coordination even after US troops withdraw from Syria, while French President Emmanuel Macaron expressed regret over US President Donald Trump's decision to withdraw troops.
"The decision to withdraw 2,000 US troops from Syria will not change our ongoing policy," Netanyahu said. "We will continue to work against Iran's military positioning in Syria, and if necessary we will expand our operations there."
He added that cooperation with the United States continues vigorously in many areas, both at the level of operations and intelligence coordination and security.
Israeli media reported that Netanyahu may discuss the Syrian file with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in Brazil on the sidelines of the inauguration of Jair Paulsonaro as president early next month.
"We have been taking the Syrian front for decades, acting in accordance with the interests of the State of Israel. The decision was made at a time when the relations between the Israeli and American armies reached their peak," Israeli Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot said on Monday.
Since the outbreak of the Syrian revolution in 2011, Israel has launched dozens of strikes on Syria to strike what it said were Hezbollah positions, convoys of weapons sent to it and Iranian interests, but Israeli operations there became more complex after Syrian anti-aircraft missiles accidentally dropped an Israeli air strike on September 17, September.
| McCron expressed his deep regret over Trump's decision during a visit to his forces in Chad, |
Trump and Macron
Trump said in a tweet on Twitter that the original mission of US forces in Syria was for three months and that was seven years ago, adding that the organization of the Islamic state was defeated on a large scale, and that regional countries - including Turkey - must be able to Carry out the remaining tasks to complete the rollback organization.
Trump recently announced officially the start of the withdrawal of his troops from Syria after "historic victories" against the state organization, which led to the resignation of Defense Secretary James Matisse, who opposes the new strategy of the White House, and the US envoy to the International Alliance, Brett McGork, also resigned on Friday.
"The ally should be counted on, and he has to coordinate with his other allies," he said during a Christmas visit to the French soldiers working in Chad. "The French president praised the secretary of defense," he said.