'Here at the Pentagon, what we do is: We plan,' Pete Hegseth says when asked about possible US troops withdrawal from Syria
President Donald Trump makes decisions on the Middle East, the head of the Pentagon said Friday when asked about a possible US troops withdrawal from Syria.
"I look forward to talking about our alliance with Australia, but as it pertains to the Middle East, those are decisions made by the President of the United States looking at all our strategic interests," Pete Hegseth told reporters ahead of a meeting with Australian Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Richard Marles.
His remarks came amid reports that the Department of Defense is developing plans to withdraw US troops from Syria.
"Here at the Pentagon, what we do is: We plan. So, we're going to plan for every possible contingency, no matter what," Hegseth said. "But ultimately, we would be getting ahead of ourselves if we were determining or certainly declaring what our intentions would be in the short, medium or long term."
Trump was asked last month whether he informed the Israeli government about pulling US troops from Syria.
"I don't know who said that. I mean, I don't know who said that, but we'll make a determination on that. We're not getting, we're not involved in Syria," he told reporters.
"Syria is its own mess. They got enough messes over there. They don't need us involved in everyone," Trump added.
According to a Pentagon announcement in December, the US has 2,000 troops deployed in Syria.
