Secretary-General of the Arab League, Ahmed Aboul Gheit, said Thursday the decision of US President Donald Trump to recognize Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights is “irrelevant and illegal,” according to the Al Mayadeen news channel.</s>Damascus was conspicuously silent on Thursday after US President Donald Trump said that the time had come to “fully recognize” Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights, which Israel captured from Syria in the 1967 Six Day War.

“After 52 years it is time for the United States to fully recognize Israel’s Sovereignty over the Golan Heights, which is of critical strategic and security importance to the State of Israel and Regional Stability!” Trump tweeted.

There was no immediate reaction from Syria, which has long vowed to recover every inch of the Golan from Israel.

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Syria’s neighbor Turkey was the first major power to condemn the move, with Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu warning it “will only lead to more violence and pain in the region.”

“The territorial integrity of states is the most fundamental principle of international law,” he tweeted. “Attempts by the #US to legitimize #Israel’s actions against international law will only lead to more violence and pain in the region. Turkey supports #Syria’s territorial integrity.”

The Arab league also reportedly condemned the move.

“The League of Arab States fully supports Syria’s right for its occupied territory. We have a specific position, based on resolutions, on this issue,” Secretary General Ahmed Aboul Gheit said according the Russian Sputnik news agency.

Israel captured the Golan Heights from Syria in the 1967 Six Day War and extended Israeli law to the territory in 1981, a step tantamount to annexation. But the United States and the international community have long considered it Syrian territory under Israeli occupation. The plateau lies along a strategic area on the border between Israel and Syria.

There was also no immediate comment from Russia, which is a major influence in the region and is fighting alongside Syrian dictator Basher Assad in the Syrian civil war.

The EU was also silent as was the United Nations, which maintains a peacekeeping force in the demilitarized zone between Israel and Syria on the Golan.

The moved faced some criticism from within the US with Leon Panetta a veteran Democrat who served as CIA director and defense secretary, among other roles, blasting Trump for “tweeting out another policy that obviously has not been worked out with our international partners.”

Former US diplomat and current director of the Council on Foreign Relations Richard Haas tweeted that he “strongly disagreed” with Trump, saying that the move would hamper future attempts to reach a peace agreement between Israel and the Arab states.

strongly disagree @realDonaldTrump; now NOT the time 4 US to recognize Israel sovereignty over Golan Hts. No Arab govt would make peace w Israel & would violate UNSCR 242 which rules out acquiring territory by war and serves Israel as it says all states have right 2 live in peace — Richard N. Haass (@RichardHaass) March 21, 2019

Dan Shapiro, who served as US envoy to Israel under Barack Obama, noted that Trump’s declaration had seemingly been made without any consideration for how it may affect the balance of power in the region.

“Unikely there has been any policy planning process to consider potential reactions by Russia, Assad regime, Hezbollah, Arab states, Europe, etc., some of which may not be immediate,” he tweeted.

Unikely there has been any policy planning process to consider potential reactions by Russia, Assad regime, Hezbollah, Arab states, Europe, etc., some of which may not be immediate. A decision like this should factor in such questions. No evidence it has. https://t.co/ynFp0y8zwA — Dan Shapiro (@DanielBShapiro) March 21, 2019

But there was quick approval from the senior Republican in the US Senate, Lindsey Graham, who is pushing for Congress to recognize Israeli control over the Golan.

“President Trump’s decision to recognize the Golan as part of Israel is strategically wise and overall awesome. Well done, Mr. President!” Graham tweeted.

And Trump’s Mideast peace envoy Jason Greenblatt hailed “another bold, courageous, and historic decision by @POTUS who understands Israel and its security needs. Thank you President Trump for your tremendous leadership!”

Following the announcement, Prime Minister Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke with Trump by phone to thank him. “You made history,” his office quoted him telling the US president.

Netanyahu also put out a tweet welcoming Trump’s statement.

“At a time when Iran seeks to use Syria as a platform to destroy Israel, President Trump boldly recognizes Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights. Thank you President Trump,” he said. He issued similar praise at a joint press conference he held Thursday evening with visiting US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.

AFP contributed to this report</s>Trump: 400 US troops to remain in Syria, half near Israeli border

US President Donald Trump says the last of the Islamic State’s territory in Syria will be freed by US-backed forces “by tonight.”

Speaking as he leaves the White House, Trump displays maps of IS-held territory in Iraq and Syria on the day he was elected and as of this morning.

The most recent map shows what Trump says is a “tiny spot which will be gone by tonight.” He says when he was elected, Syria was “a mess” and awash in IS fighters.

US-backed fighters battling to retake the last IS outpost in eastern Syria seized most of the last pocket of land yesterday.

Trump has previously announced the defeat of the group, but sleeper cells of fighters remain in Syria.

Trump says the US will keep 400 troops in Syria indefinitely, including 200 near the Israeli borer.</s>WASHINGTON -- President Donald Trump said Wednesday that the last territory in Syria held by the Islamic State would be "gone by tonight," despite reports of continuing fighting between the extremist group and U.S.-backed local forces in Syria.

It was the second time in the past month that Trump was ready to declare the liberation of the extremists' self-declared caliphate -- an area once roughly the size of Britain -- across Iraq and Syria. In February, at a military base in Alaska, he said the Islamic State's territory in Syria had been "100 percent" reclaimed; the group no longer controls land in neighboring Iraq.

In Syria, officials with the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces near the last pocket of extremist-controlled territory said Wednesday that a group of Islamic State fighters still controlled a sliver of land along the eastern bank of the Euphrates River, where they were holed up with women and children.

As long as that area was still under the Islamic State's control, "it would be weird to expect an announcement in the next day," said a Syrian Democratic Forces official, who was not authorized to respond to Trump's comments and spoke on the condition of anonymity.

Ciyager Amed, an official with the Syrian Democratic Forces, said Wednesday that forces were still searching for any Islamic State militants hiding in tunnels in a riverside pocket in the village of Baghouz. The Syrian Democratic Forces held back on announcing victory over the Islamic State.

Trump, speaking to reporters before leaving the White House for a trip to Ohio, sought to prove that his earlier assertion had been correct -- or close to it. He brandished two maps showing before-and-after snapshots of Islamic State territory that he said proved that his administration had done more to eradicate the extremists than President Barack Obama had.

"This is ISIS on Election Day," Trump said, using an acronym for the Islamic State, as he pointed to one map, marked with red splotches that he said represented territory held by the extremists. "When I took it over, it was a mess."

Then he pointed to what he said was a Trump administration map, which he said was updated only 20 minutes earlier, with a red mark that indicated one small Islamic State-held village on the verge of collapse: "There is a tiny spot that will be gone by tonight."

For weeks, the Islamic State's remaining territory consisted of Baghouz, where fighting raged on and off, and tens of thousands of fighters, women and children surrendered and were taken to prisons and crowded refugee camps. The Syrian Democratic Forces recently pushed the last remaining fighters out of the village, leaving them only the sliver of territory by the river. It remains unclear how many people, both fighters and civilians, are there.

The Trump administration has been eager to announce the eradication of the militant group, even as concerns over its influence grows in other regions of the world.

Earlier this week, Abu Hassan al-Muhajir, the Islamic State's spokesman, belittled the White House's claim of victory over the terrorist organization. In a 44-minute taped speech after the deadly mosque shootings in New Zealand, al-Muhajir said the Trump administration had created a "state of confusion and contradiction that make it impossible for any observer to know what is meant by the word 'victory.'"

Trump also reaffirmed that 400 U.S. troops would remain in Syria, in part to ensure that the Islamic State does not resurge. He also said some U.S. forces would be based in an area of Syria that was "closer to Israel for a period of time," but he did not elaborate. His comments came as Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was meeting in Jerusalem with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel.

In December, Trump declared he would immediately withdraw the 2,000 U.S. troops in Syria in an announcement that prompted the swift resignations of Defense Secretary James Mattis and Brett McGurk, the special presidential envoy to the coalition fighting the Islamic State. The decision was also roundly criticized by allies worldwide and the Syrian Democratic Forces, which has proved to be the most effective ground force against the Islamic State.

The Trump administration has since walked back the president's initial withdrawal announcement.

Information for this article was contributed by Philip Issa of The Associated Press.</s>Trump says IS territory in Syria nearly eliminated

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump says the last of the Islamic State's territory in Syria will be freed by U.S.-backed forces "by tonight."

Trump spoke as he left the White House and displayed maps of IS-held territory in Iraq and Syria on the day he was elected and as of Wednesday morning.

The most recent map shows what Trump says is a "tiny spot which will be gone by tonight." He says when he was elected, Syria was "a mess" and awash in IS fighters.

U.S.-backed fighters battling to retake the last IS outpost in eastern Syria seized most of the last pocket of land on Tuesday.

Trump has previously announced the defeat of the group, but sleeper cells of fighters remain in Syria.

Trump says the U.S. will keep 400 troops in Syria indefinitely.</s>US President Donald Trump has said the last of Islamic State’s territory in Syria will be freed by US-backed forces “by tonight”.

US President Donald Trump has said the last of Islamic State’s territory in Syria will be freed by US-backed forces “by tonight”.

IS territory in Syria nearly eliminated, says Trump

Mr Trump spoke as he left the White House and displayed maps of IS-held territory in Iraq and Syria on the day he was elected and as of Wednesday morning.

The most recent map shows what Mr Trump says is a “tiny spot which will be gone by tonight”.

He said when he was elected, Syria was “a mess” and awash with IS fighters.

US-backed fighters battling to retake the last IS outpost in eastern Syria seized most of the last pocket of land on Tuesday.

Mr Trump has previously announced the defeat of the group, but sleeper cells of fighters remain in Syria.

The president said the US will keep 400 troops in Syria indefinitely.</s>In an exclusive interview with FNA, Dr. Nashabe also mentioned the role of Turkey in the move by Washington, saying, “The US learned that continuing to arm Kurdish rebels will lead to mounting tension with Turkey, which is a NATO member.”

Dr. Omar Nashabe is Lecturer in the Lebanese-American University in Lebanon. He is also an editorial member and reviewer of several international reputed journals, including al-Akhbar Newspaper.

Below is the full text of the interview:

Q: Donald Trump, US President, ordered the US withdrawal from Syria. On what military ground has he issued this order?

A: The US military withdrawal from Syria is in line with President Trump’s overall foreign policy. The US President has realized that the US agenda (i.e. regime change in Syria, weakening Hezbollah and playing and active role in ground of one of Iran’s and Russia’s close allies) was never going to be successfully done. But, the role of Turkey cannot be overlooked; the US learned that continuing to arm Kurdish rebels will lead to mounting tension with Turkey, which is a member of NATO. Therefore, the US military withdrawal from Syria can also serve as a message from Washington to Ankara: abandoning the Kurds may be an invitation for repairing what went wrong with the relations of Turkey and the US, and/or an attempt to persuade Turkey to stop its increasing rapprochement with Russia.

Q: Trump justified his move saying the US military presence in Syria had achieved its aim with the defeat of Daesh (ISIL or ISIS). Can the terrorist group be considered “defeated” by the US?

A: The Daesh terrorist group has been defeated; but not by the US. The terrorist group was rather defeated by a large coalition including Russia, the Syrian Army, Hezbollah, Iranian forces, and last but not least, the Syrian people themselves. It was only after Daesh attacked targets in Western Syria when Turkey and the US started advertising that they were fighting against the terrorist group. Even then, their armies were inconsistent in fighting Daesh. In numerous occasion, the US army refrained from attacking Daesh groups, because Washington had hoped that these groups may cause severe damage to the pro-government forces.

 In short, US military withdrawal from Syria has nothing to do with defeating Daesh. In fact, Daesh still has military presence in some parts in Syria, namely in Deir Ezzur, where some American soldiers were stationed.

Q: The Kurdish majority Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) was supported and armed by the US, but Kurdish Spokeswoman Ilham Ahmad has described the US decision to withdraw from Syria as a stab in the back of the Kurds. What future do you anticipate for the Kurds without the US?

A: The Kurds will have no way but to reintegrate in the Syrian army. They should reach an agreement with the Syrian government for a certain autonomous provincial ruling system under the authority of Damascus. Kurds already know that if they fail to reach the agreement with Syria’s legitimate government, then the Turkish army will not hesitate to slaughter them. Then, the Syrian army may not be ready to go to war against Turkey to defend the Kurds, especially with their history of worked hard for regime change in Syria, being a puppet of outside forces such as the US.

Now that the US has abandoned the Kurds, somebody has to take over and control the situation. The development in the Syrian city of Manbij is an evidence: Syria’s troops entering Manbij would spell restoration of the government control over the Syrian-Turkish border. Syrian government is to exercise sovereignty over its own territory, and this is what it is doing right now entering Manbij, by the call of whether civilians or Kurdish forces.

Q: Trump says Saudi Arabia, not the US, will pay to rebuild Syria, while Bashar al-Assad, Syrian President, says the country does not need the help of the West or Saudi Arabia. What does that tell us about the real aim of the war on Syria?

A: The top in the US’s agenda was to topple the Syrian president and to place a puppet regime instead of the current legitimate government of the country; However, Trump realized that the plan for regime change in Syria was defeated. Therefore, he may be planning to lure Syria using Saudi Arabia’s money and the return of Syria to the Arab League. The plan seems underway: the Persian Gulf Arab states, including the UAE, are reopening their embassies in the capital Damascus, showing tendency to re-establish Syria as a member of the Arab League. Meanwhile, Pro-Saudi Sudan President Omar Al-Bashir recently visited Damascus and passed a Saudi message to President Bashar al-Assad, claiming that if he abandons his close ties with the Iran and Hezbollah, he shall be rewarded with substantial funds and reconstruction plans.
Syria has not publicly responded to President Trump's decision. Ahmed Aboul Gheit, Secretary-General of the Arab League, declares this action irrelevant and illegal.