Netanyahu Plans to Tell Trump Israel Will Not Withdraw from Syria

Welat TV – Erbil

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has told members of the Security Cabinet that he intends to reject any U.S. requests for an Israeli withdrawal from Syrian territory, according to The Times of Israel.

The newspaper reported on Monday, July 27, 2026, that Netanyahu told the cabinet the United States had presented a list of demands that included a broad withdrawal from the fronts in Syria, Lebanon, and Gaza, adding: "I intend to oppose it, and I will tell them no."

The remarks come days before an expected meeting between Netanyahu and U.S. President Donald Trump in Washington, as consultations continue between the two sides aimed at persuading Trump to "expand the confrontation" with Iran, according to Yedioth Ahronoth.

Trump had previously urged Netanyahu during a phone call to begin withdrawing Israeli forces from Syria and Lebanon, warning that their continued presence could trigger a wider regional escalation.

Israeli forces have carried out repeated incursions into southern Syria following the fall of the Assad regime, advancing beyond the disengagement zone established under the 1974 Disengagement Agreement. Damascus considers the incursions a violation of the agreement and has demanded Israel's withdrawal from the recently occupied areas as a prerequisite for any future negotiations.

Speaking at a joint press conference with Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani on Saturday, UN Secretary-General António Guterres reaffirmed that the Golan Heights are Syrian territory, stressing the United Nations' support for Syria's sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity and calling for an end to all Israeli violations in Syrian territory.