SUNDAY TIMES WEB DESK:After Trump’s surprise announcement of the pullout last week, Israel is concerned over whether its main enemy Iran will have a freer hand to operate in the neighbouring country, analysts say.
Israel’s response to the announcement has been measured — careful to point out that it respects the US decision, coupled with pledges to continue to defend its interests in Syria.
But beneath those public pronouncements are worries over whether Iran will seek to take advantage of the US absence from the war-torn country and if Russia will respond to Israel’s calls to limit it.
Beyond that, the manner in which the decision was taken and announced — and US Defence Secretary Jim Mattis’s resignation in response — may also give Israeli leaders pause, some analysts say.
“Since it’s our major ally, we want the United States to be strong … and we want an ally which is being perceived in the region as strong and effective,” said Eyal Zisser, vice rector of Tel Aviv University and who has written extensively on Syria.
“And I think that what worries some Israelis is what message does this decision — the way it was taken, what stood behind it — send to the region