Pentagon says Trump to decide on US troop withdrawal from Syria

The decision on whether to withdraw U.S. troops from Syria rests with President Donald Trump, Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth said Friday, as reports emerge that the Department of Defense is drafting plans for a potential pullout.

Speaking ahead of a meeting with Australian Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Richard Marles, Hegseth declined to confirm whether a withdrawal was imminent, emphasizing that military planning remains a routine practice.

“I look forward to talking about our alliance with Australia, but as it pertains to the Middle East, those are decisions made by the President of the United States looking at all our strategic interests,” Hegseth told reporters.

His comments come amid speculation that the administration is weighing an end to the U.S. military presence in Syria, where approximately 2,000 troops remain stationed, according to a December Pentagon announcement.

“Here at the Pentagon, what we do is: We plan. So, we’re going to plan for every possible contingency, no matter what,” Hegseth said. “But ultimately, we would be getting ahead of ourselves if we were determining or certainly declaring what our intentions would be in the short, medium or long term.”

Trump, when asked last month whether he had informed Israel of any decision to pull troops from Syria, gave an ambiguous response.

“I don’t know who said that. I mean, I don’t know who said that, but we’ll make a determination on that. We’re not getting, we’re not involved in Syria,” he told reporters.

“Syria is its own mess. They got enough messes over there. They don’t need us involved in everyone,” he added.

The U.S. presence in Syria has been a subject of debate throughout Trump’s presidency, with previous discussions on withdrawal met with pushback from military officials and lawmakers concerned about regional stability.