Israel is concerned about US President Donald Trump’s intention to withdraw thousands of American troops from Syria, Israel’s public broadcaster KAN reported.

KAN reported that senior White House officials conveyed to their Israeli counterparts the message that Trump plans to withdraw thousands of US troops from Syria.

In the news report, it was stated that the withdrawal of US forces from Syria would cause great concern in Tel Aviv, and it was evaluated that ‘this move is expected to affect the Kurds in Syria’.

It was noted that Trump’s plan to withdraw thousands of American troops from Syria has caused concerns in the political and military spheres in Israel.

‘Occupation is permanent’

Israeli Defence Minister Yisrael Katz emphasized that Israel will be ‘permanent’ on the Sheikh (Hermon) Mountain, where it expanded its occupation of the Golan Heights, which is Syrian territory according to international law.

According to the statement made by the Israeli Ministry of Defence, Katz stressed that Israel would establish contact with ‘friendly peoples’ in southern Syria and said, ‘We will especially focus on the large Druze communities that have historical and close family ties with our Druze brothers and sisters in Israel.’

The Israeli army also shared images of the ‘temporary’ military outposts it established on the Syrian side of Mount Hermon in the Golan Heights, where it expanded its occupation.

The Israeli army, which entered the buffer zone around the Golan Heights after the overthrow of the Assad regime, carried the occupation further and entered 20 kilometers close to the capital Damascus.

Trump and Netanyahu to meet on 4 February

On the other hand, it was announced that Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will meet at the White House on 4 February.

In a written statement made by the Israeli Prime Minister’s Press Office, it was detailed that Netanyahu was the first foreign leader Trump invited to the White House after he took the presidency for the second time.

According to the Israeli press, Trump and Netanyahu are expected to discuss regional issues, especially the ceasefire in Gaza.

After the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad’s government, the new Syrian government opposes Russia’s military presence in Syria, and Moscow’s attempts to persuade it have failed. For the first time since Bashar al-Assad’s departure, a Russian delegation traveled to Damascus for talks. However, Moscow faces a strong opponent: Türkiye, which does not want the bases to remain.

A source familiar with the situation told Bloomberg that Russia has been unable to reach an agreement on maintaining the bases. Negotiations with the new Syrian government have reached an impasse, the source said. Russian activities at the Khmeimim airbase have been restricted, while two military ships had to wait weeks for permission to dock in Tartus to transport military equipment.

Türkiye, which supports the opposition, opposes Russia’s continued military presence in Syria. Two senior Turkish officials told Bloomberg that it is highly doubtful the new administration would allow Russia to remain in the bases after Russian warplanes attacked opposition forces during the civil war.

Russian President Vladimir Putin had supported Assad militarily and helped him avoid defeat in the post-Arab Spring war. This was achieved through intensive bombing of opposition-held Syrian cities by the Russian military—a tactic now being used in Ukraine.

On Tuesday, a Russian delegation arrived in Damascus, including Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov and the Russian President’s Special Envoy for Syria, Alexander Lavrentyev, TASS reported. It was the first visit by Russian officials to Damascus since Assad stepped down as Syrian president in December, the state news agency said.

The two Russian transport ships, Sparta and Sparta II, were able to enter the harbor in recent days after weeks of waiting near the Tartus base. This followed Tartus Customs Director Riyad Judi’s announcement that the new Syrian administration had canceled the agreement signed in 2019 with Stroytransgaz to invest in the port (signed for 49 years; the base was leased for the same period).

Satellite imagery shows that Sparta II has left the port, and a significant portion of the containers and military equipment it brought has also disappeared.

“After the cancellation of the 49-year lease, it has become very clear that Russia has no hope of maintaining its military presence in Tartus, and therefore there seems to be no point in continuing to stay there and delay the evacuation,” maritime analyst Frederik van Lokeren told the BBC.

Türkiye is initiating a diplomatic push to revive energy negotiations with the European Union, emphasizing its potential as a major natural gas supplier after previous talks were derailed by tensions with Cyprus.

Faruk Kaymakcı, Türkiye’s permanent representative to the EU, told POLITICO on Sunday that energy cooperation would take center stage as part of efforts to improve relations, which also include trade discussions and collaboration on conflicts in Eastern Europe and the Middle East.

This initiative comes as EU member states, including Hungary and Slovakia, seek alternatives to Russian gas following the expiration of a transit agreement allowing gas imports through Ukraine earlier this year.

Kaymakcı stated, “We have the Southern Gas Corridor. We have 18 billion cubic meters of gas, mostly from Azerbaijan, and we can easily expand it by connecting it to Mediterranean gas. Our role is there, our potential is there.”

High-level energy trade talks between Türkiye and the EU were suspended in 2019 after a dispute between Ankara and EU member Southern Cyprus over gas drilling rights in the Mediterranean. According to a statement from the Council of Europe, Turkish companies sought to extract fossil fuels “in Cypriot territorial waters.” Cyprus and Greece, also vying to benefit from these resources, have consistently opposed Türkiye’s actions.

Kaymakcı criticized the EU’s approach, saying, “We see this as a lose-lose situation. Türkiye is one of the three or four main energy arteries; it is up to the EU whether it utilizes it or not.”

He further claimed that only Cyprus currently opposes the resumption of energy dialogue. “They may not need much energy in the sunny Mediterranean,” he said, “but most member states say they need more energy, more diversification. So this will continue,” he added.

Beyond facilitating the transport of Azerbaijani gas and exporting its domestic reserves, Türkiye also imports Russian fuel via the TurkStream pipeline under the Black Sea. Following the expiration of the Kremlin’s transit deal with Ukraine on January 1, this undersea route has become Moscow’s sole connection for supplying Europe.

“With the Ukraine-Russia deal expiring at the beginning of the year, TurkStream becomes even more important,” noted Kadri Taştan, an energy analyst at the German Marshall Fund. “The price of gas is still an issue for the EU, and Türkiye’s position is therefore becoming much stronger.”

Despite the European Commission’s assertion that the expiration of the Ukrainian transit deal will not create supply shortages, Hungary and Slovakia argue otherwise. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán threatened on Friday to block the renewal of the EU’s all-Russian sanctions framework unless Ukraine agreed to restart the transit route.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in December, “We will not extend the transit of Russian gas. We will not allow them to make additional billions on our blood.” However, on Saturday, Zelensky indicated that Kyiv is open to transiting Azerbaijani gas through its pipelines, provided Moscow does not benefit financially.