US President Donald Trump told Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a phone call on Thursday that Israel should begin redeploying its forces from Syria and encouraged him to do the same in Lebanon, according to US and Israeli officials cited by Axios.
The request comes as Israel maintains military positions in parts of southern Lebanon and southern Syria, with Israeli officials saying the deployments are necessary to prevent future attacks similar to the October 7th Massacre.
According to Axios, a US official said Trump told Netanyahu that the Israeli military presence in Syrian territory was creating tensions and could lead to escalation. The official quoted Trump as saying, "They don't want you there. You should redeploy," adding that the same message applied to Lebanon.
The Prime Minister's Office said Netanyahu raised the need for security zones along Israel's borders during the conversation.
The call took place a day after Trump met Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Turkey. US officials said the Trump administration had sought a new security arrangement between Israel and Syria, including a gradual Israeli withdrawal from territory taken after the collapse of the Assad regime in December 2024.
In recent weeks, incidents in southern Syria have included protests by local residents against the Israeli military presence and clashes with Israeli forces.
Meanwhile, US mediators met in Rome on Tuesday with Israeli and Lebanese representatives to discuss the implementation of a framework agreement between the two countries. Under the agreement, Israel committed to withdrawing from two "pilot zones" in southern Lebanon and allowing the Lebanese military to deploy there.
The IDF has not yet redeployed from those areas. Lebanon has called for the withdrawal process to begin and requested a timetable for additional withdrawals, while Israeli officials said they want to ensure the areas are free of Hezbollah weapons and military infrastructure before moving forward.
The White House declined to comment on the report but did not deny the account. A US official stressed to Axios that Trump "has a strong relationship with Prime Minister Netanyahu" and that Israel "has always been a great ally to the United States."