Türkiye believes President-elect Donald Trump, once in the White House, could pull U.S. troops out of northern Syria, where Ankara accuses it of allying with the PKK terrorist group's Syrian wing YPG.

"Trump, during his presidency, gave orders on three occasions for the withdrawal of the U.S. military from Syria. I believe Trump in the coming term will strongly dwell on this issue and pull American soldiers out of the region and Syria," Defense Minister Yaşar Güler said Tuesday.

The U.S. has approximately 2,500 troops in Iraq and 900 in neighboring Syria as part of the coalition against Daesh, which was formed in September 2014 with members from nearly 87 countries, including Türkiye.

Daesh once held roughly a third of the two countries but was territorially defeated in Iraq at the end of 2017 and in Syria in 2019.

Washington considers the YPG a key partner in the fight against Daesh in Syria, but it does not recognize it as a terrorist group, although it acknowledges the PKK as such.

The PKK/YPG's occupation in northeastern Syria and the PKK presence in northern Iraq worry Türkiye, which constantly carries out limited cross-border operations to hunt down terrorists.

The PKK/YPG has grown stronger in the region, particularly in Deir el-Zour province, home to Syria’s largest oil wells, thanks to material support from the U.S.

In 2019, Trump announced a decision to withdraw thousands of U.S. troops from northeastern Syria. He later switched course and decided to send in U.S. troops to protect oil fields in eastern Syria, while U.S. officials insisted the troops’ mission was still to defeat Daesh.

The issue strains Turkish-U.S. ties as Ankara warns its NATO ally against aiding terror elements that threaten its national security, something Washington continues to do despite promising to remove the group from the Turkish border area.

Türkiye is pressing the U.S. to reconsider its support for PKK/YPG, according to recent comments from President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who has again floated the possibility of a new cross-border offensive in Syria.

Strains in U.S.-Türkiye ties include U.S. support for the PKK/YPG, Türkiye’s removal from the F-35 fighter jet program in 2019, Ankara’s ties with Moscow and U.S. harboring of Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ) members.

Türkiye was part of the F-35 program before its participation was suspended because of a dispute about Ankara buying S-400 Russian air defense after its efforts to buy U.S. Patriot missiles were rebuffed.

The sides have been discussing steps to finalize the deal for months now.

Speaking to a Turkish broadcaster, Güler said Türkiye doesn’t expect a setback regarding the deal, expressing hope that it will, in fact, "make further progress" in the new Trump era.

Israeli aggression

On a potential attack from Israel on Türkiye, something Erdoğan has frequently voiced, Güler said he agreed with the president about the possible threat, as well as on bolstering domestic defenses and creating a unified front within the country "even during times of peace."

He also warned about the risk of a third world war with Israel’s expansionist attacks on Lebanon, Syria and Iran.

"Türkiye, of course, does not want such a thing, but we must be prepared against anything at all times," Güler said.

Last month, Erdoğan, among the world's sharpest critics of Israeli military offensives, surprised many when he told Parliament that Israel aimed to expand the war to Türkiye eventually.

"The Israeli administration, which acts upon its delusion of the 'Promised Land,' will set its sights on our homeland after Palestine and Lebanon," he said.

Ankara argues Israel is pushing to open new fronts across the region as part of its war on the Gaza Strip, which has killed at least 42,000 Palestinians in the past year.

Türkiye has been on alert about a possible regional spillover of the conflict with Israel’s persistent attacks on Lebanon and Iran’s retaliatory strikes.

Hezbollah and Israel have continued cross-border warfare since the Gaza war last October, but Tel Aviv recently escalated its offensive in Lebanon, killing hundreds, displacing thousands and also assassinating the group’s leader Nasrallah. The conflict could escalate further, as there are fears of an Israeli military ground invasion.

Türkiye is calling for an international arms embargo on Israel, especially from its top military supplier, the U.S.