In Israel, Bolton Says U.S. Pullout From Syria Conditioned on Turkey Assuring Safety of Kurdish Fighters

U.S. National Security Adviser John Bolton said on Sunday that the U.S. military withdrawal from northeastern Syria is conditioned on defeating ISIS and on Turkey assuring the safety of Kurdish fighters allied with the United States. Bolton, in Israel, was speaking ahead of a meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Speaking to reporters in Jerusalem, Bolton added that there is no timetable for the pull-out of American forces, but insisted it’s not an unlimited commitment.

"The timetable flows from the policy decisions that we need to implement," he said.

Netanyahu will be meeting Bolton later Sunday to discuss joint U.S.-Israel efforts to prevent Iran from further establishing its presence in Syria.

>> With U.S. pullout, Erdogan in pole position to shape Syria to his liking | Analysis

Speaking at the start of the weekly government meeting, Netanyahu said the talk would be a follow-up on U.S. President Donald Trump decision to withdraw American troops from the embattled country, and his own recent phone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Netanyahu said the two would discuss "deepening the operational and intelligence cooperation between Israel and the U.S., which is always tightening."

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– U.S. National Security Adviser John Bolton touring the Western Wall tunnels in Jerusalem, January 6, 2018.