Bolton sent to ease Israeli concerns about pullout in Syria
TEL AVIV, Israel — The White House has sent national security adviser John Bolton on a mission to allay Israel’s concerns about President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw U.S. troops from Syria.
The pullout, announced before Christmas, was initially expected to be completed within weeks, but the timetable has slowed as the president acceded to requests from aides, allies and members of Congress for a more orderly drawdown.
Bolton planned to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other officials on Sunday before traveling to Turkey. Israeli officials have expressed alarm that a swift withdrawal of the roughly 2,000 troops could enable Iran to expand its influence and presence in Syria, which has been wracked by a years-long civil war and the Islamic State militancy.
Trump’s move has raised fears about clearing the way for a Turkish assault on Kurdish fighters in Syria who have fought alongside U.S. troops against ISIS extremists. Turkey considers the Kurdish People’s Protection Units, or YPG, a terrorist group linked to an insurgency within its own borders.
A Trump administration official told reporters traveling with Bolton that the national security adviser intends to discuss the pace of the drawdown, as well as U.S. troop levels in the region. Bolton was expected to explain that some U.S. troops based in Syria to fight ISIS will shift to Iraq with the same mission and that some American forces may remain at a key military outpost in al-Tanf, in southern Syria, to counter growing Iranian activity in the region.
Bolton also was to convey the message that the United States will be “very supportive” of Israeli strikes against Iranian targets in Syria, according to the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to preview the talks.
Bolton warned Syrian President Bashar Assad not to use the drawdown as a pretext to use chemical weapons against Syrians, saying there is “no change” in the U.S. position that their use is a “red line.” Trump has twice carried out airstrikes in Syria in response to apparent chemical attacks, with the intention of deterring Assad.
“We’ve tried twice through the use of military force to demonstrate to the Assad regime the use of chemical weapons is not acceptable,” Bolton said while en route to Israel. “And if they don’t heed the lessons of those two strikes, the next one will be more telling.”
Trump’s announcement about the intended troop withdrawal prompted the resignation of Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and the U.S. special envoy for the anti-ISIS coalition in protest.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is following Bolton to the Mideast this week for an eight-country tour of Arab allies to shore up support for the administration’s partners in the region.