President-elect Donald Trump stated on Saturday that the United States should refrain from intervening in the Syrian conflict. He emphasized that Syria is not an ally of the U.S. and suggested that the country should be allowed to resolve its issues independently. Trump noted that the withdrawal of Russian forces, who have been supporting President Bashar al-Assad since 2015, could be beneficial for Syria, especially as Russia is currently preoccupied with the situation in Ukraine. He also criticized the previous administration under Barack Obama for not enforcing the ‘red line’ policy, which was intended to prompt U.S. intervention if chemical weapons were used by al-Assad’s regime.