By Bill Pan
President Donald Trump is urging Israel to maintain a diplomatic approach with Syria after a recent Israeli military operation near the border escalated tensions between the two Middle Eastern neighbors.
In a rare instance of publicly calling on Israel to show restraint, Trump said on Dec. 1 that he is “very satisfied” with the progress of Syria’s interim government and implied that further military action could undermine the country’s transition following the collapse of Bashar al-Assad’s regime in 2024.
“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,” Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social.
“The new President of Syria, Ahmed al-Sharaa, is working diligently to make sure good things happen, and that both Syria and Israel will have a long and prosperous relationship together.”
A former rebel commander once wanted by the United States on terrorism charges, al-Sharaa faces the challenge of restoring a unified Syrian state after his forces toppled the Assad family’s five-decade rule in December 2024.
Trump has placed high expectations on al-Sharaa and his government’s role in shaping what he says could be a foundation for long-term peace in the Middle East.
On Nov. 10, Trump hosted al-Sharaa at the White House, while also lifting terrorism-related sanctions on Damascus.
Officials from al-Sharaa’s transitional government and Israel have met multiple times in U.S.-brokered talks aimed at reaching a border-stability agreement, but there have been few updates on the progress of those negotiations since September.
Tensions flared again on Nov. 28, when six Israeli soldiers were wounded during an operation near the Syrian village of Beit Jinn, roughly four miles east of the buffer zone separating Israel from Syria along the Israel-controlled Golan Heights.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said the mission aimed to “apprehend suspects” linked to the terrorist group Jamaa Islamiya. According to the IDF, several armed fighters opened fire on Israeli troops, prompting return fire and close-air support from helicopters, drones, and fighter jets.
The IDF reported that all suspects were taken into custody and “several terrorists eliminated.”
Syrian state media reported that at least 13 people were killed in what Damascus labeled a “full-fledged war crime.”
Syria’s Foreign Ministry accused Israel of committing an “grave aggression” and warned that such actions “threaten security and stability in the region,” according to the state-owned SANA news agency.
Israeli forces have maintained a presence in parts of Syria since the collapse of the al-Assad regime. In July, the IDF conducted a series of operations in Syria’s Sweida Province, which Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said were intended to protect members of the country’s Druze minority, who have been targeted by Sunni Bedouin fighters and remnants of Assad-aligned security forces.
Neither Israel nor Syria has issued a response to Trump’s latest message. On Dec. 1, al-Sharaa hosted Trump’s special envoy for Syria, Tom Barrack, in Damascus. According to an official statement, the two discussed “the latest developments in the region” and “issues of common interest.”
