U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday urged Israel to avoid actions that could unsettle Syria’s new leadership, issuing the warning just days after a deadly Israeli operation in southern Syria.
In a message posted on his Truth Social platform, Trump stressed the need for restraint.
“It is very important that Israel maintain a strong and true dialogue with Syria, and that nothing takes place that will interfere with Syria’s evolution into a prosperous state,” he wrote.
Trump said he was “very satisfied” with the direction Syria is taking under President Ahmed al-Sharaa, the former Islamist rebel leader whose coalition ousted Bashar al-Assad last year. Sharaa made a landmark visit to the White House in November, signifying what the U.S. calls a “new chapter” in Syrian relations.
The American president has been championing a long-term security pact between Israel and Syria, but those efforts have faced setbacks amid continued Israeli strikes inside Syrian territory. The most recent, and deadliest, occurred on Friday, when Israeli forces killed 13 people in an operation targeting an Islamist faction in the south.
Trump defended Sharaa’s leadership, saying the Syrian leader “is working diligently to make sure good things happen, and that both Syria and Israel will have a long and prosperous relationship together.”
He added that Washington is “doing everything within our power to make sure the Government of Syria continues to do what was intended” in rebuilding the war-ravaged nation.
According to Trump, stable relations between Jerusalem and Damascus would bolster broader U.S. efforts to secure lasting peace across the Middle East, following the fragile Gaza ceasefire reached in October.
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