♪
ERIC: WELL, CONCERNS FROM SOME
ARE MOUNTING OVER PRESIDENT
TRUMP'S DECISION TO WITHDRAW
AMERICAN TROOPS FROM SYRIA.
YOU KNOW, THE U.S. PRESENCE IN
THE WAR-TORN COUNTRY HAS SERVED
AS AN OBSTACLE TO IRANIAN'S
PRESENCE.
BUT EXPERTS SAY THE REMILE OF
U.S. TROOPS MAKES THE GOAL OF
ROLLING BACK IRAN'S INFLUENCE IN
THE REGION DIFFICULT.
EVEN AS THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION
PUSHES FORWARD ON IMPOSING
SANCTIONS AGAINST IRAN.
WALID PHARES, FOX NEWS NATIONAL
SECURITY ANALYST, JOINS US NOW
WITH MORE ON THIS.
WHAT DO YOU THINK IS THE EFFECT
OF THE PRESIDENT'S DECISION
GOING FORWARD ON SYRIA AND THE
MIDDLE EAST?
>> WELL, ERIC, THINGS HAVE BEEN
GOING SO FAST, EXPERTS ARE
TRYING TO FIGURE OUT HOW THE
DECISION WAS MADE IN THE FIRST
PLACE.
WE HEARD FROM SECRETARY POMPEO,
NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER
AMBASSADOR BOLTON FIRST THAT OUR
FORCES IN EAST SYRIA WERE,
FIRST, TO DESTROY AND TERMINATE
ISIS, BUT ALSO TO STOP IRAN FROM
LINKING WITH SYRIA.
THE PRESIDENT CAME UP WITH THE
DECISION TO WITHDRAW BASED ON
THE IDEA THAT THE TURKISH ARMY
CAN TERMINATE ISIS.
THE QUESTION THAT MANY EXPERTS
ARE RAISING RIGHT NOW, OKAY, THE
TURKS MAY BE ABLE TO DESTROY
ISIS, BUT WHAT IS THE PRICE?
WHAT WOULD THE TURKISH POSITION
BE WITH REGARD TO THE KURDS, OUR
ALLIES, WITH REGARD TO IRAN?
THESE ARE UNANSWERED QUESTIONS
SO FAR.
ERIC: ARE THERE ANY ASSURANCES
FOR THE SAFETY OF THE KURDS?
THEY WERE ALREADY, ACCORDING TO
REPORTS, TRYING TO TURN TO ASSAD
FOR PROTECTION.
DO YOU THINK THERE COULD BE A
WAR WITH TURKEY GOING AFTER THE
KURDS?
>> EXAMINING THE STRATEGIC
INTENTIONS OF THE PLAYERS,
SPECIFICALLY TURKEY, YOU KNOW,
THE ERDOGAN GOVERNMENT HAS BEEN
VERY CLEAR HE WANTS TO DISARM
AND DISMANTLE THE YPD OR THE
SYRIA DEMOCRATIC FORCES, WHICH
WERE OUR ALLIES AGAINST ISIS.
THAT WOULD MEAN A WAR BECAUSE
THESE KURDISH FORCES WITH ARAB,
SUNNI AND WITH OTHER CHRISTIAN
MILITIAS WITH THEM HAVE ABOUT
65,000 TROOPS.
AND THE TURKISH ADVANCING FORCES
WILL BE ABOUT 100-120,000, SO
THAT WOULD BE A WAR THAT WE NEED
ABSOLUTELY TO AVOID.
ERIC: AND WHAT WOULD HAPPEN IF
THAT WERE TO COME TO PASS?
>> IF THERE IS A CLASH BETWEEN
THE TURNS AND THE KURDS, THEN
THE KURDS WILL ALLOW THE SYRIAN
ARMY TO MOVE TOWARD TO THE
BORDERS, AND EASTERN SYRIA, AT
THE END OF THE DAY, I DON'T
THINK TURKEY AND IRAN WILL FIGHT
AGAINST EACH OTHER.
THEY WILL DIVIDE EASTERN SYRIA
AS POLAND WAS DIVIDED.
ERIC: PRESIDENT TRUMP HAS COME
UNDER A LOT OF CRITICISM FOR
THIS DECISION, LINDSEY GRAHAM
CALLING IT A DISASTER IN THE
MAKING.
ORES SAY, ROOK, YOU -- OTHERS
SAY, LOOK, YOU HAD 2,000 SPECIAL
OPERATIONS FORCES THERE, WERE
THEY NOT REALLY ENOUGH TO BLUNT
THE ADVANCE OF IRAN, THE
ADVANCES OF RUSSIA AND, OF
COURSE, TO TRY TO FIGHT --
CERTAINLY NOT FIGHT AGAINST
ASSAD'S REGIME, THAT THE
PRESIDENT'S DECISION WAS REALLY
A BOW TO REALITY.
HOW DO YOU SEE IT?
>> LOOK, THERE COULD HAVE BEEN
MANY SCENARIOS.
THE PRESIDENT WANTS TO PULL OUT
AMERICAN FORCES, BUT BEFORE
PULLING OUT, WE NEED TO MAKE
SURE THAT WHO REPLACES US ARE
OUR ALLIES.
MAYBE EVEN WITH A SURGE, I WOULD
HAVE RECOMMENDED, EUROPEAN
FORCES OR A SYRIA-STRATEGIC
TRAINING OF THE KURDISH FORCES
WOULD BE AVAILABLE, THEN WE
COULD WITHDRAW, AND THE WALL
WILL BE INTACT BETWEEN IRAN AND
SYRIA.
ERIC: THEY SAY THEY ARE
CONSIDERING VARIOUS TYPES OF
OPTIONS TO CONSIDER ANY
SUNNI-ARAB ALLIES BRINGING IN
FORCES.
>> YOU KNOW, I WAS ONE OF THE
PERSONS WHO ADVOCATED THE ARAB
COALITION MOVING INTO SYRIA
YEARS AGO.
BUT AT THIS POINT IN TIME IT'S
SO DIFFICULT, AND OUR SENATE
ACTUALLY COULD --
[INAUDIBLE]
THE ONLY OPTION WE HAVE AT THIS
POINT IN TIME IS TO NOT WITHDRAW
VERY QUICKLY AND ENABLE THE
KURDISH FORCES TO BE ABLE TO
DEFEND THEMSELVES.
THAT'S THE ONLY OPTION WE HAVE
AT THIS POINT IN TIME.
ERIC: HAVE WE SOLD OUT THE KURDS
WHO DID SO MUCH ALONG WITH OUR
TROOPS?
>> ERIC, I HOPE NOT.
BECAUSE IF WE DO NOT ONLY WILL
WE LOSE EASTERN SYRIA, BUT MANY
ALLIES IN THE REGION WILL BE
VERY HESITANT TO WORK WITH US
WITH IN -- WORK WITH US IN THE
FUTURE.
ERIC: JOHN BOLTON HAS BEEN VERY
STRONG, AS YOU KNOW -- THROUGH
YEARS -- IN HIS RHETORIC AND HIS
PROPOSING ACTIONS DEALING WITH
IRAN.
HE'S GOING TO ISRAEL THIS WEEK.
HOW CAN HE MOLLIFY PRIME
MINISTER BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, AND
WHAT IS HE GOING TO SAY IN TERMS
OF AMERICAN POLICY GOING
FORWARD?
>> I'M NOT SURE WHAT IS HE GOING
TO SAY ABOUT OUR DECISION TO
WITHDRAW FROM EAST SYRIA BECAUSE
HERE IN WASHINGTON WE REALLY
DON'T KNOW HOW IT HAPPENED AND
WHAT WILL BE THE ALTERNATIVE,
BUT WE UNDERSTAND THAT THE
PRESIDENT IS DETERMINED TO
WITHDRAW THOSE FORCES.
ISRAEL HAS NO BUSINESS IN NORTH
IAN SYRIA, BUT IT HAS BUSINESS
WITH ONE THING.
IF THE IRANIAN FORCES RUSH
THROUGH THIS AREA AND GET VERY
CLOSE TO ISRAEL AND HAVE MISSILE
AT THEIR DISPOSAL, I THINK THE
ISRAELIS WILL HAVE NO CHOICE.
ERIC: THEY'RE DOING THAT NOW.
THEY STRUCK A WEAPONS DEPOT THE
OTHER DAY IN DAMASCUS.
APPARENTLY, THESE ARE WEAPONS
THAT ARE BROUGHT IN FROM TO
SYRIA.
>> THIS IS NOW.
THE IRANIANS HAVE NOT YET
DEPLOYED THE BULK OF THEIR
MISSILE FORCE WHICH IS GOING TO
BE IN THE HUNDREDS, IF NOT THE
THOUSANDS.
ERIC: ALL RIGHT.
CERTAINLY THE NATIONAL SECURITY