Jerusalem, Dec 24 (IANS): Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said his government will maintain its current policy regarding the conflict in Syria despite the US decision to withdraw its forces deployed there.

Netanyahu made these remarks on Sunday after the White House said that the withdrawal of US troops had already begun, Efe news reported.

"The decision to withdraw 2,000 US troops from Syria will not change our consistent policy," Netanyahu said at the beginning of the weekly cabinet meeting.

"We will continue to act against Iran's attempts to entrench itself militarily in Syria, and to the extent necessary, we will even expand our actions there," he said.

"I would like to reassure those who are concerned. Our cooperation with the US will continue in full and finds expression in many areas: operations, intelligence and many other security spheres," Netanyahu added.

In related news, Israel's military chief of staff, Gadi Eisenkot, on Sunday described the US decision as a "significant event, but there is no need to overstate it".