US President Donald Trump’s decision Wednesday to withdraw his forces from Syria drew immediate criticism from international allies and members of the Republican party.
Trump is wrong to say that ISIS has been defeated in Syria, a British defense minister said on Wednesday.
After Trump tweeted that "we have defeated ISIS in Syria," Tobias Ellwood replied "I strongly disagree."
"ISIS has morphed into other forms of extremism and the threat is very much alive," the junior minister said in a tweet.
Earlier, Trump had tweeted that "We have defeated ISIS in Syria, my only reason for being there."
"We have started returning United States troops home as we transition to the next phase of this campaign," White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders confirmed in a statement.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that his country will study the US decision and will ensure its own security.
In statement, he said he had spoken over the past two days with Trump and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo about their intention to withdraw US forces from Syria.
"They made clear they have other ways to have influence in the area," Netanyahu said.
"We will study the timeline, how it will be done and of course the implications for us. In any case, we will make sure to maintain Israel's security and protect ourselves from this arena," he said.
A US presence in Syria is seen as key to pushing against Russian and Iranian influence in the country and across the broader region.
Tehran-backed militias have supported the regime of Bashar al-Assad, and Moscow in 2015 intervened in the conflict to prop him up.
Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, a Trump ally, said the president's decision was unwise.
"President @realDonaldTrump is right to want to contain Iranian expansion," Graham said on Twitter.
"However, withdrawal of our forces in Syria mightily undercuts that effort and put our allies, the Kurds at risk."
Charles Lister, a senior fellow at the Middle East Institute, called the decision "extraordinarily short-sighted and naive."
"This move will look like a 'withdrawal,' not a 'victory,' and yet more evidence of the dangerous unpredictability of the US president," Lister said.
"This is not just a dream scenario for ISIS, but also for Russia, Iran and the Assad regime, all of whom stand to benefit substantially from a US withdrawal."
Republican Senator Marco Rubio of Florida said the withdrawal would be a "grave error with broader implications" beyond the fight against ISIS.
