Trump presses Netanyahu to withdraw Israeli troops from Syria and Lebanon

U.S. President Donald Trump has urged Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to pull Israeli forces out of Syria and Lebanon. According to Axios, Trump told Netanyahu on a phone call, “No te quieren allí. Deberías retirarte.”

The demand follows the postponement of Netanyahu’s planned visit to Washington, which Israel explained by citing the rescheduling of Senator Lindsey Graham’s funeral. U.S. officials have indicated the administration no longer wants Netanyahu in Washington while insisting on a radical redesign of Israel’s security posture in the Levant.

Arab leaders have warned Trump that Netanyahu is an obstacle to regional peace, and the dispute unfolds amid heightened U.S.–Iran tensions that include reciprocal strikes and a renewed naval blockade of Iranian ports.

The diplomatic clash occurs ahead of U.S. mid‑term elections and Israeli national elections, leading analysts to describe it as a “controlled crisis” that both leaders may be using to shape domestic political narratives.