Trump Tells Netanyahu to Redeploy Israeli Forces From Syria and Lebanon

According to Axios, President Trump told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a phone call Thursday that Israel should begin redeploying its forces out of Syria and urged the same in Lebanon, according to U.S. and Israeli officials. Trump said the Israeli military presence in Syrian territory creates tensions and could lead to escalation. Netanyahu raised the need for security zones along Israel's borders. The call came a day after Trump met with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Turkey. The Trump administration has sought a security agreement between Israel and Syria, including gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces from Syrian territory occupied since the collapse of the Assad regime in December 2024. Separately, U.S. mediators met in Rome with Israeli and Lebanese diplomats to discuss implementation of a framework agreement under which Israel committed to pull forces from two pilot zones in southern Lebanon, though the IDF has not yet redeployed.