President Donald Trump urged Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to begin withdrawing Israeli forces from Syria and Lebanon during a telephone call last week, according to US and Israeli officials. Trump warned that the continued military presence on Syrian territory was creating tensions and could lead to a wider escalation. “They don’t want you there. You should redeploy,” Trump told Netanyahu, a US official said, adding that the same message applied to Lebanon. The call took place one day after Trump met Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa on the margins of the NATO summit in Ankara, a sequence that US officials say reflected Washington’s intensifying diplomatic focus on the two fronts.

The Trump administration has spent months attempting to broker a new security agreement between Israel and Syria, US officials said. Washington has sought a gradual withdrawal of the Israel Defense Forces from Syrian territory occupied since the collapse of the Assad regime in December 2024. However, US officials now assess that Netanyahu is unwilling to offer the concessions sought by the White House. On the Lebanese track, a framework agreement signed in late June under US mediation committed Israel to pull back from two “pilot zones” in the south and allow the Lebanese army to deploy. Yet the Israeli military has not yet redeployed, and US mediators met Israeli and Lebanese delegations in Rome on Tuesday to discuss implementation.

Israeli officials maintain that the military deployments are essential to prevent a repeat of the October 7 attack. Netanyahu’s office stated that the prime minister “raised the need for security zones along Israel’s borders” during the call. Israeli defence officials have described the presence in buffer zones in Lebanon, Syria and Gaza as part of a new security doctrine. Hardline members of the Israeli cabinet advocate permanent control and even settlement construction in these areas. With Israeli elections only three months away, analysts in the region assess that Netanyahu is unlikely to authorise a significant withdrawal, as it would risk destabilising his governing coalition.

Lebanese negotiators in Rome are demanding an immediate start to the Israeli withdrawal and a clear timetable for a full pull-out. Beirut argues that the US military, not Israel, should verify that the pilot zones are free of Hezbollah weapons and infrastructure. In southern Syria, recent protests by residents against the Israeli presence have led to clashes with troops, adding urgency to the diplomatic push. The Rome talks are expected to continue, but no agreement on a withdrawal timeline has been announced. The dossier remains open, with further rounds of US-mediated negotiations anticipated.