Israeli Chief Of General Staff Says US Withdrawal From Syria Should Not Be Overestimated

TEL AVIV (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 23rd December, 2018) Chief of the Israeli Defense Forces' (IDF) General Staff, Lt. Gen. Gadi Eisenkot, believes that the United States' decision to recall troops from Syria should not be overestimated because Israeli forces have been dealing with the situation in the region by themselves for decades.

The withdrawal of an estimated 2,000 US troops from Syria was announced by US President Donald Trump on Wednesday. According to White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders, Washington has already started the withdrawal process.�

"This is a significant event, but it should not be overstated. For decades we dealt with [Syria] alone. The IDF operated independently throughout this period, including over the last few years with US and Russian forces present," Eisenkot said at the Herzliya Conference, as quoted by the IDF's press service.

Eisenkot added that Russia's military presence in the Arab country had changed the situation in Syria and impacted Israel's operations in the region.

"The Russian presence in Syria created a new situation and was an influential factor in the way we operated. The way we prepared allowed us to operate for the sake of Israel's security interests," the lieutenant general said.

Israel has taken a neutral stance on the conflict in Syria, but it has been opposing Iran's military presence in the war-torn country, fearing Tehran might gain too much influence in the region. Israel has been also conducting air raids in Syria against Lebanese paramilitary group Hezbollah.

Russia, in turn, launched a military operation against terrorist groups in Syria in September 2015 at the request of Syrian President Bashar Assad. The majority of Russian troops left the country in 2017, following Russian President Vladimir Putin's announcement that the Islamic State terrorist group (IS, outlawed in Russia) had been defeated in Syria.