WASHINGTON, 16 July. - (ANA) - Donald Trump's reported call urging Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to withdraw from occupied areas of southern Syria reflects growing frustration within the White House over Israel's regional policies, an expert has told The New Arab.

 

Speaking to TNA, Nanar Hawach, Senior Analyst for Syria at the International Crisis Group, said the reported intervention "appears to reflect a sign of frustration" over Israel's continued occupation of southern Syria and parts of southern Lebanon.

 

That Israeli occupation "is an obstacle to the administration's aim to maintain a stable government in Damascus and calm along Israel's borders," Hawach added.

 

Trump reportedly told Netanyahu during a phone call that Israel should withdraw from southern Syria, saying: "They [Syria] don't want you there. You should redeploy," according to a US official who spoke to Axios.

 

The official added that the same applied to Lebanon, where Israel continues to occupy parts of the country's south despite an agreement signed with the Lebanese government in June.

 

The reported call followed Trump's meeting with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Ankara last week.

 

The US has been facilitating separate negotiations between Israel and the governments of Syria and Lebanon.

 

On Tuesday, a sixth round of direct talks between Israel and Lebanon was held at the US embassy in Rome, aimed at implementing a 26 June agreement that would lead to an Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon.

 

The US has also been attempting to broker a Syrian-Israeli agreement that would see Israeli forces withdraw from southern Syria. However, Axios reported that the Trump administration has concluded Netanyahu is unwilling to make concessions or pull Israeli troops out of the area.

 

Hawach said Netanyahu "appears to be betting it can absorb Trump's pressure" and argued that, with Israeli elections due in October, a withdrawal remains unlikely.

 

"His coalition partners oppose any pullback and the conditions Israel has set, a demilitarised southern Syria and a disarmed Hezbollah, remain far from being met," he said.

 

The push for withdrawal comes as Israel seeks to entrench its influence in southern Syria through sections of the Druze community, which spans Syria, Lebanon and Israel.

 

This includes the recent construction of a hospital in the village of Qalaat Jandal, according to Syria TV, as well as the establishment of medical clinics in the nearby village of al-Rimah.

 

Notables in Qalaat Jandal, like much of Syria's Druze community, remain divided between strengthening ties with the government in Damascus and expanding communication with Israel. However, the town's religious authorities recently issued a statement reaffirming the community's Syrian national identity and its commitment to the Syrian state.

 

Syria's Druze community was the victim of massacres in Suweida in 2025, in which around 1,300 Druze civilians were killed following clashes involving Druze militias, Bedouin tribes and government forces.

 

Since then, Israel has sought to establish a lasting foothold in southern Syria through parts of the Druze community. Suweida spiritual leader Sheikh Hikmat al-Hijri has praised Israel and suggested the province could ultimately come under Israeli protection or influence.

 

Hawach said Israel's ties with sections of the Druze community fit Netanyahu's broader strategy "because they anchor Israeli influence in the south whatever happens to the troop presence."

 

As a result, he said, Suweida's future has become "part of the bargaining between Israel, Damascus and Washington, which is where Damascus itself has chosen to work the file".  - (ANA) -

 

AB/ANA/16 July 2026 - - -