Yedioth Ahronoth: Israel Fears Trump Will Impose Withdrawal from Syrian Mount Sheikh

Translation SadaNews - The Hebrew newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth reported on Friday that there are real concerns in Israel that U.S. President Donald Trump may impose unacceptable solutions regarding Syria, particularly the withdrawal from Mount Sheikh.

According to the newspaper, as translated by SadaNews, Israel was surprised by the historical reception given to Syrian President Ahmad al-Shara in the White House, and it now fears being forced by Washington to concede this strategic point.

According to the newspaper, talks that have taken place over the past few months at a low level between representatives of the two governments have yet to yield any progress, primarily aimed at reaching a new ceasefire agreement instead of the agreement reached with the Assad regime.

It indicated that Israel fears Trump will impose upon it an agreement similar to what happened in the Gaza Strip.

The security establishment urged Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu not to abandon Syrian Mount Sheikh, considering it a strategic point for security in the north. It allows monitoring of any movements and prevents smuggling of weapons from Syria to Lebanon, along with controlling the entire Golan Heights.

The newspaper states that despite this recommendation, Israel is inclined to discuss the withdrawal from 8 areas it controls at the border with Syria, in exchange for renewing the ceasefire that will ensure Israel's freedom to act against emerging threats.

The channel indicates that the close coordination between Turkey and the United States may push the latter to force Israel into such an agreement.

The Israeli security establishment feels serious concern regarding the rapprochement between U.S. President Donald Trump and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, which forms a bridge for the relationship between al-Shara and Trump.

The Israeli security establishment was also astonished by the significant reception al-Shara received in the White House, with the newspaper noting that in Israel, they still view al-Shara as an "terrorist."