US to establish air base in Damascus as part of Israel-Syria deal – report

Ahead of planned meeting between Trump and Ahmed al-Sharaa in Washington, US reportedly preparing to establish a military presence in Damascus as part of a security deal between Israel and Syria.

By World Israel News Staff

The United States is planning to deploy military forces to Damascus as part of a security arrangement between Syria and Israel, Reuters reported on Thursday.

Citing six sources familiar with the matter, the report said that the US is set to establish a military presence at a Damascus air base, adding that US forces will oversee the creation of a demilitarized zone spanning much of southern Syria.

The new demilitarized zone will be part of a non-aggression pact being brokered by the US between Israel and Syria.

The report comes just days before Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa is slated to make a historic visit to the White House next Monday.

The trip, which will mark the first time a Syrian head of state has visited Washington, will include a meeting with President Donald Trump.

The two leaders first met at a summit in Saudi Arabia this May.

The sources cited by Reuters, including a Syrian defense official and two Western officials, confirmed that the American forces slated to be deployed to the Damascus air base would be charged with monitoring a potential Israel-Syria deal.

Neither the Pentagon nor the Syrian Defense Ministry offered to comment on the report.

A Syrian defense official said the US military had already tested the facility’s airstrip by landing a C-130 transport aircraft, leading American defense officials to conclude the base was prepared for immediate use.

The United States already has forces deployed in eastern Syria, part of American efforts to support Kurdish opposition to ISIS terrorists.

Recently, the US has stationed service members at two other hotspots in the region, with a deployment in Lebanon to monitor the enforcement of the November 2024 ceasefire, and in Israel to oversee the 20-point Gaza peace plan.