Tel Aviv will benefit from Donald Trump's withdrawal from Syria, Israeli political commentator and publicist Avigdor Eskin told Sputnik.
"There will be no need for any constraint in this area where the US presence was an obstacle before. Israel is not going to replace US boots on the ground in Syria but will be more active to halt Iranian military activism"," Eskin underscored.
On 19 December, Trump announced that "after historic victories against ISIS [Daesh*]" he was pulling American forces out of Syria.
The political commentator highlighted that although "we do not know the reasons for this timing", the move had come as no surprise.
"President Trump declared several times that he will pull out US military from Syria".
According to the Israeli publicist, the withdrawal is likely to result in the "rise of Turkish and Sunni influence which will have some immediate effect".
President @RT_Erdogan of Turkey has very strongly informed me that he will eradicate whatever is left of ISIS in Syria….and he is a man who can do it plus, Turkey is right “next door.” Our troops are coming home!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) 24 декабря 2018 г.
On 23 December the US president tweeted that his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan promised to "eradicate whatever is left of ISIS in Syria", while American troops would be returning home.
"The Sunni opposition to President Assad will be encouraged by the US pull-out," Eskin foresees. "The Americans had a mandate to fight Daesh there and nothing else. This was somehow beneficial for President Assad and even Iran. Now we will see more Sunni resistance and some limited involvement of the Saudis".
Saudi Arabia has now agreed to spend the necessary money needed to help rebuild Syria, instead of the United States. See? Isn’t it nice when immensely wealthy countries help rebuild their neighbors rather than a Great Country, the U.S., that is 5000 miles away. Thanks to Saudi A!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) 24 декабря 2018 г.
There is No Reason to Doubt Trump's Intention
Commenting on Moscow's scepticism over the US' withdrawal from the Arab Republic, the political commentator opined that Trump will deliver on his promise: "Trump means business and there is no reason for any doubt", he pointed out.
As for French President Emmanuel Macron's promise to maintain a military presence in the region and, reportedly, provide support to Syrian Kurds — Washington's longstanding allies in its war against terrorists — the publicist suggested that "French forces will face an uneasy choice" and that "it is quite possible that they will quit soon after the US withdrawal".
On 25 December, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu warned the French that "there will be no benefit to anyone" if they remain in Syria any longer.
Mattis' Resignation: 'Trump Cooled His Generals Down'
It was reported that Trump's decision to withdraw from Syria was the trigger for Secretary of Defence James Mattis' resignation.
For his part, Brett McGurk, the US special presidential envoy for the Global Coalition to Counter ISIL, seemingly resigned over Trump's pull-out.
"The recent decision by the president came as a shock and was a complete reversal of policy that was articulated to us. It left our coalition partners confused and our fighting partners bewildered," McGurk wrote in a letter to his colleagues, as quoted by the New York Times.
If anybody but your favorite President, Donald J. Trump, announced that, after decimating ISIS in Syria, we were going to bring our troops back home (happy & healthy), that person would be the most popular hero in America. With me, hit hard instead by the Fake News Media. Crazy!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) 23 декабря 2018 г.
"President Trump wanted to replace Mattis, it's no secret," Eskin said. "The military circles always want to have more military bases and more action. This is what the president is for — to cool down his generals".
The US is expected to pull out its nearly 2,000-strong military contingent within 100 days. The American president has repeatedly vowed to bring American troops back home from the region. US military forces intervened in Syria under Trump's predecessor Barack Obama in 2014 under the pretext of fighting Daesh. The US Armed Forces maintained their presence in the country illegally, without Damascus' approval.
*Daesh (ISIS/ISIL/Islamic State) is a terrorist group banned in Russia.
The views expressed in this article are those of the contributor and the speaker, and do not necessarily reflect those of Sputnik.
