Graham didn’t elaborate, but The New York Times speculates he “may have been referring to assurances that Mr. Trump is said to have given some military officials that they can have more time than 30 days to ensure a proper drawdown of troops.” Graham later went on Twitter to reiterate the main points he took away from his meeting with Trump, though with few details on how Trump will achieve these goals:

Source: https://theweek.com/speedreads/815054/lindsey-graham-says-trump-slowing-down-syria-troop-withdrawal-protect-kurds-thwart-iran

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According to Netanyahu, Israel’s policy is intended to weaken Iran’s influence on its neighbor, Syria. “The decision to remove the 2,000 American soldiers from Syria will not change our consistent policy: we will continue to oppose Iran’s attempts to establish military bases in Syria, and if needed we will even expand our own operations there,” he said.

The Israeli prime minister stressed that Israel would continue to collaborate with Washington on matters of security. “I want to assure those concerned: our cooperation with the United States continues in full force, and is carried out in many areas: in the operational, intelligence and other security fields,” Netanyahu said.

As an example of successful IDF activity on the Syrian border, Netanyahu mentioned the tunnels used by the pro-Iranian group Hezbollah to transfer weapons and ammunition. On December 20, the IDF destroyed one such tunnel and blocked another.

“These tunnels were built by Hezbollah with direct support and funding from Iran. This is Iran’s aggression network in the Middle East, which also terrorizes Europe and the entire world. Israel is continuing its operation against the terrorists’ tunnels, and will bring it to successful completion,” Netanyahu said on December 21.

US President Donald Trump announced the withdrawal of US forces from Syria on Wednesday, December 19, claiming that Islamic State has been defeated, and that there is no reason to continue the military operation.

The US’s allies have not been supportive of Trump’s decision. The UK and France have both pledged to maintain a military presence in Syria. According to the Jerusalem Post, Paris has 1,100 troops providing training and support to local opposition groups.

Shortly after Trump officially announced his plans, US Defense Secretary James Mattis resigned. He was followed on December 22 by Brett McGurk, the Special Envoy for the Global Coalition to Counter ISIL.

Source: http://uawire.org/netanyahu-israel-prepared-to-act-in-syria-following-us-withdrawal

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Iraqi President Barham Salih did not propose mediation between the Kurdish PKK group and the Syrian regime, the country’s presidency spokesperson, Luqman Al-Fili, announced yesterday.

The London-based Asharq Al-Awsat recently reported that Salih “adopted a scenario to fill the gap left by the United States’ decision to withdraw its forces from Syria.”

The agency claimed that Salih’s proposal suggested that the PKK leaders would meet with the Syrian government officials in the capital Damascus to discuss restoring relations between the two parties. It explained that the PKK leaders would arrive there through the Iraqi-Iranian border and then through the northern Iraqi city of Sulaymaniyah.

According to the agency’s report, the agreement would include “the return of the [Syrian] army and border guards to all Syrian border points with Turkey and Iraq, in addition to waving the official Syrian flag and returning the sovereignty elements in the eastern Euphrates.”

The Saudi-funded newspaper pointed to a “possible resumption of coordination between the PKK and Syria for joint action against Turkey.” It noted that there has been communication between the Kurdish PYD and the Syrian army in the country’s Al-Hasakah and Aleppo governorates.

“This information is inaccurate, and we reiterate that the President of the Republic [Iraq] has previously stressed the need to support the efforts of a peaceful solution to end the vicious cycle of violence in neighbouring Syria,” Al-Fili said.

He added that the Iraqi approach in Syria was based on “respect for its independent decision and an end to interference in its internal affairs,” adding that the “president [Salih] believes that achieving peace in Syria requires coordination and support from the neighbouring countries and the international community.”

Salih, Al-Fili reiterated, has always sought to strengthen relations with all Iraq’s neighbours, including Turkey. “We always follow the policy of not interfering in other countries’ internal affairs.”

Source: https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20181224-iraq-denies-attempts-to-restore-pkk-syria-relations/

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