US Special Envoy to Syria Tom Barrack confirmed on Tuesday that the United States has begun reducing its military presence in the country, with the ultimate goal of consolidating its forces into a single remaining base.
Speaking to Turkish media, Barrack said, “We’ve gone from eight bases to five, and now to three. Eventually, we will have only one.”
The remarks came amid ongoing reports of a phased withdrawal by US forces from northeastern Syria.
On Monday, the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported that American troops had continued withdrawing from two military installations in the Deir ez-Zor region, an area under the control of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces.
Following the US departure, Kurdish commando units reportedly moved into the vacated sites.
According to SOHR, the withdrawal began gradually last month and accelerated over the past two days. Eyewitnesses described convoys of US military vehicles, including engineering equipment, leaving the Al-Omar oil field and the Conoco gas facility. In parallel, there has been increased aerial activity affiliated with the US-led coalition.
The Al-Omar base is considered the largest US military installation in Syria. Over the past two years, it has been repeatedly targeted by pro-Iranian militias.
Sources told SOHR that while the withdrawal marks a major shift, Kurdish and American forces are expected to continue collaborating on joint operations and counter-Islamic State missions if necessary.
The pullout raises serious concerns about a potential security vacuum at a time when Syria’s fragile stability is under strain.
Barrack’s announcement came on the same day that rockets from Syria were fired at Israel for the first time in a year.
On Tuesday night sirens sounded in Hispin and Ramat Magshimim in the southern Golan Heights, following the launch of two rockets – both of which landed in an open field, with no casualties reported.
In response, the IDF launched airstrikes across southern Syria that it said targeted weapons belonging to the regime.
A statement released Syria's foreign ministry said: "This escalation constitutes a blatant violation of Syrian sovereignty and aggravates tensions in the region.
"Syria has never been and will never be a threat to anyone in the region."
However, an IDF statement on the incident said: “The Syrian regime is responsible for what is happening in Syria and will continue to bear the consequences as long as hostile activity continues from its territory.”
