The US military is ready to consolidate its presence in Syria in the coming weeks and months, two US officials told Reuters.
The move could halve the number of troops in the country.
The US military has about 2,000 troops in Syria at a number of bases, mostly in the northeast of the country. The military is working with local forces to prevent a resurgence of the Islamic State group, which in 2014 seized large parts of Iraq and Syria but was later pushed back.
One of the officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the consolidation could reduce the number of troops in Syria to about 1,000.
Another U.S. official confirmed the reduction plan but said there was no certainty about the numbers and he was skeptical of a reduction on that scale at a time when President Donald Trump's administration is negotiating with Iran and building up forces in the region.
The United States has recently sent aircraft, including B-2 bombers, warships and air defense systems to reinforce the Middle East.
On Monday, Trump said he believed Iran was deliberately delaying a nuclear deal with the United States and that it must abandon any pursuit of nuclear weapons or face a possible military strike against its nuclear facilities. facilities.
Meanwhile, U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is conducting a review of U.S. military bases around the world.
The Islamist-led government in Syria, which took power after the ouster of Bashar al-Assad in December, has sought to rebuild Syria's relations in the region and beyond.
The U.S.-backed Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces signed a deal with Damascus last month to merge the Kurdish-led governing bodies and security forces with the central government.
In March, the U.S. gave Syria a list of conditions it must meet in exchange for partial relief from sanctions. Otherwise, the Trump administration has been largely unengaged with the country's new rulers.
Some White House officials want Washington to take a tougher stance, citing the new Syrian leadership's past ties to "al Qaeda" as a reason to minimize engagement.