Donald Trump puts Israel’s Syria policy in spotlight, Axios reports

US President Donald Trump is reportedly pressuring Israel to withdraw forces from areas along the Syrian border, according to an Axios report. During a phone call, Trump told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that "Israel should start redeploying its forces out of Syria and urged him to do the same in Lebanon." This comes as the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) currently occupy parts of southern Lebanon and Syria, a presence Israel states is necessary to prevent another October 7-type attack. Trump, who has cultivated ties with Syria's new government, believes Israel's presence creates friction and could harm potential relations. Since the fall of the Assad regime in December 2024, the IDF has taken over the buffer zone and Mount Hermon, conducting numerous airstrikes and incursions into Syria, with a Syrian media site claiming over 1,000 strikes and 1,157 incursions since then. The article suggests a rethinking of Israel's strategy, noting that threat prevention could be achieved by working with Syria's new security forces.