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The Withdrawal of U.S. Forces from Syria - No Reason to Panic

(Twitter) Maj.-Gen. (ret.) Amos Yadlin - The withdrawal of U.S. forces from Syria is a significant step, but there's no reason to panic. 2,000 U.S. troops came to Syria to fight against ISIS and had no authority to act against Iran. Israel remains the only actor enforcing red lines on the Iranians. Israel has always defended itself, and seeks no foreign forces for its defense - not even from our greatest friend and ally, the U.S. The important role of America is to push Iran diplomatically (Pompeo's 12 demands) and with sanctions. Driving the U.S. withdrawal from Syria is probably the President's drive to decrease U.S. presence and casualties, the American people's fatigue from the nation's long wars, and perhaps what looks like a "grand deal" with Turkey. That deal may include withdrawing U.S. protection from the Kurdish areas in northeast Syria, opening the door to Turkish military action there; blocking Turkey's acquisition of the Russian S-400 air defense system and replacing it with the $3.5 billion U.S. Patriot system; and allowing the F-35 aircraft deal to move forward. Trump's decision emboldens America's rivals which are committed to the region in the long term: Russia, Iran, Assad and ISIS. The writer, former head of IDF Military Intelligence, is director of the Institute for National Security Studies at Tel Aviv University.
2018-12-20 00:00:00
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