Trump Tells Netanyahu To Remove Troops From Syria & Lebanon As Concern Over Escalation In ‘Greater Israel’ Grows

In a Thursday phone call, President Donald Trump told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to remove his forces from Syria and Lebanon.

“They don’t want you there. You should redeploy,” Trump told Netanyahu.

Netanyahu is reluctant to take any step that hastens peace in the region, for it could bring about an end to his power and freedom.

The Prime Minister is facing an election in the next three months as well as potential prison time for his corruption charges. Being what Trump calls a “wartime” leader and a “hero” has helped Netanyahu delay the justice process.

PBS detailed the legal battle Netanyahu is fighting:

He is charged with fraud, breach of trust and accepting bribes in three separate cases accusing him of exchanging favors with wealthy political supporters including a telecom company, a Hollywood producer and a newspaper publisher.

While Netanyahu’s legal and political battles may be staved off by the military battles he is fighting, the same cannot be said for President Trump.

As global conflict disrupts the economy ahead of U.S. midterm elections, an escalation of war is likely to lead to a Republican wipe-out, opening the door to impeachment hearings and potential corruption charges against Trump.

“A U.S. official said Trump told Netanyahu that the presence of the Israeli military in Syrian territory creates tensions and could lead to an escalation,” Axios said.

Another factor behind Trump’s Thursday call may be his recent meeting with the Syrian leader, as the call came one day after the NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey.

President Trump met with former Al Qaeda terrorist Abu Mohammad al-Jolani (who transitioned to a politician named Ahmed al-Sharaa).

Al-Sharaa, who Trump previously referred to as being “young” and “attractive”, appeared to have spurred-on Thursday’s call with Netanyahu. Washington may not be completely sold on the notion of a “Greater Israel” and is thus seeking to have the Jewish State pull its forces out of neighboring territory.

Axios reported:

Driving the news: The call between Trump and Netanyahu took place a day after a meeting the president had with his Syrian counterpart, Ahmad al-Sharaa, on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Turkey. 

• The Trump administration has tried for months to reach a new security agreement between Israel and Syria before eventually concluding Netanyahu doesn’t want to make the concessions it sought. Those included gradually withdrawing the IDF from the Syrian territory it has occupied since the collapse of the Assad regime in December 2024, U.S. officials say. 
• In recent weeks there have been several incidents in southern Syria where Syrian citizens protested against the IDF presence and clashed with Israeli soldiers.

It is not just Trump requesting an Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon. Diplomatic efforts were underway in Rome, Italy Tuesday between representatives of the two nations.

“Lebanon and Israel resumed talks on Tuesday in ​the Italian capital, with Beirut hoping for progress towards securing an Israeli withdrawal from south Lebanon under a U.S.-brokered agreement, although expectations for ‌swift progress were low,” Reuters said Tuesday. “A U.S. State Department official said in a brief statement that the Rome talks were positive and would continue on Wednesday, adding that both sides were eager to move forward.”

The Jewish State currently occupies a so-called “buffer zone” which runs about 10 km (6 miles) into Lebanon along the Israeli border.

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz has publicly admitted to applying the “Gaza model” in Lebanon.

“The destruction of this town, a Hezbollah stronghold, is repeated again and again across southern Lebanon, a lush region of undulating vistas, where Israel has razed border villages as part of an effort to lay the groundwork for a larger occupation,” The New York Times said in May. “The approach, Israel’s defense minister, Israel Katz, said, was modeled on tactics the military used in Gaza, where the Israeli military reduced entire neighborhoods, buildings and streets to rubble.”

Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir has called for abducting women and children from Lebanon.

“Let’s start thinking outside the box about Hezbollah,” Ben Gvir said during a security cabinet meeting in June. “Conquering territory and killing many terrorists, but also detaining their women and youth and taking them to terrorist prisons … That’s what hurts them the most.”

Netanyahu previously vowed to maintain its occupation forces within the borders of its neighbors, Lebanon, Syria and Gaza. The Jewish State is also eyeing the prospect of conquest against the NATO member, Turkey. It also recently began to “fortify” its border with Jordan to counter the Iranian threat.

Despite the defensive (and offensive) measures, one area in which Israel has not just ignored but outright resisted is the prospect of peace.

In May Netanyahu ordered an expansion of its Gaza occupation, in contradiction to the Trump-backed ceasefire agreement. The Jewish State then stepped up strikes against Lebanon in early June.

Trump, seeking an end to the Iran war with a deal contingent upon Israel ceasing its attacks against Lebanon, attempted (and temporarily succeeded) to get Israel to cease hostilities.

Despite being funded and backed by the Trump administration, Netanyahu again ignored the will of the White House and resumed its bombing of Lebanon in late June:

Axios released an interview with President Donald Trump on Friday where he expressed faith that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would abide by the latest Iran peace deal, saying the Israeli government has “a lot of respect for me, and they do as I say.”

Within hours of the president’s sit-down with Axios, the IDF conducted intense airstrikes across southern Lebanon that resulted in nearly fifty deaths and about 100 injuries.

Alex Jones commented on the attacks Saturday morning, writing, “Trump tells Israel’s leadership to stop bombing Lebanon and Benjamin Netanyahu instantly responds by carpet bombing Christian southern Lebanon to kill the Iran peace deal and to take the land..”

According to current and former U.S. officials, Israel may have been plotting to kill top Iranian negotiators in order to keep Washington in their war.

Despite the hostility of America’s “greatest ally,” a U.S. official told Axios Tuesday that: “President Trump has a strong relationship with Prime Minister Netanyahu, and Israel has always been a great ally to the United States. There has been no greater friend to Israel and a fighter for peace than President Trump.”