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JERUSALEM, Jan. 6-- United States National Security Adviser John Bolton started his visit to Israel on Sunday, saying the U.S. will withdraw from Syria only after Turkey will provide assurance to safeguard Kurds. Bolton made the remark during a briefing for reporters in Jerusalem, where he arrived on Saturday for the first American official visit since the White House announced its withdrawal plan from Syria. Bolton said the White House expects Turkey to provide measures to ensure the safety of the Kurds, who were America's allies in their fight against the Islamic State in Syria. Earlier, Bolton paid a visit to East Jerusalem's Western Wall, the most sacred site to Jews. He toured archaeological excavations there, accompanied by the head of Israel's National Security Council, Meir Ben Shabat, and the U.S. ambassador to Israel, David Friedman. In the evening, Bolton is expected to meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu before traveling to Turkey. During Israel's weekly cabinet meeting on Sunday morning, Netanyahu referred to Bolton as his "old friend." He told the cabinet that the meeting will focus on Iran's presence in Syria, which the U.S. and Israel see as a threat to Israel. "I will discuss with him the efforts to stop the Iranian aggression in our region (and) the situation in Syria," Netanyahu said, according to a statement released by his office. He added that the meeting comes as Israel and the U.S. are "deepening' their "intelligence and operative cooperation." | 
