Netanyahu seeks to calm Israeli concerns over Trump's Syria pullout

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sought on Sunday to calm domestic concerns over US President Donald Trump's decision to withdraw from Syria, saying his country will still act against Iran there.

Netanyahu will also reportedly meet US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo when he travels to Brazil for the January 1 inauguration of new president Jair Bolsonaro.

The prime minister's office has not confirmed the meeting reported by Israeli media.

Trump last week said the Islamic State group had been defeated and he was withdrawing the United States' 2,000 troops from Syria.

Israel has seen the US presence in neighbouring Syria as a bulwark against its main enemy Iran and a counterweight to Russia.

Both Russia and Iran support Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's regime in the country's civil war.

"The decision to remove the 2,000 US soldiers from Syria won't change our consistent policy," Netanyahu said at the start of a cabinet meeting.

"We will continue to act against Iran's attempt to establish a military presence in Syria, and if the need arises, we will even expand our activities there." He added that he wanted to "calm those concerned".

"Our cooperation with the United States continues full-force, and takes place in many fields -- the operational field, the intelligence field, and many other security fields."