Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa said Wednesday evening that “security talks with Israel may bring results in the coming days.” Al-Sharaa added that, if the security agreement succeeds, it could lead in the future to “additional understandings” — but he also said that “peace and normalization are not on the table right now.”
Al-Sharaa stressed that the security agreement is “necessary,” and added that it was made, among other reasons, so that Israel “will respect Syria’s airspace and territorial space.”
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Half-mast Israeli flags at Druze protests in Syria and Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa
(Photos: Francisco Seco/AP, File)
Earlier Wednesday, diplomatic sources told the Arabic edition of The Independent that Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shibani was to meet with Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer in the presence of the U.S. special envoy to the talks, Thomas Barrack. The report said Syria and Israel are conducting “advanced talks” to sign in the coming days a multi-clause security agreement that would include Israel’s withdrawal from all areas it captured after the fall of the Assad regime on Dec. 8, 2024 — except for two military positions on the summit of Mount Hermon.
According to the report, under the agreement, the Syrian army would not deploy heavy weapons along the border with Israel and new lines would be drawn for a buffer zone between the two countries. The agreement would also address settling the Sweida conflict, which led to horrific massacres of the Druze population that received support from Israel.
In addition, the agreement reportedly delays discussion of the Golan Heights issue and includes a Syrian commitment to fight the Iranian presence across its territory. The report said the agreement also contains Syrian undertakings to prevent the use of Syrian soil for strikes against Israel and “Syrian activity to build a national fabric that ensures minority participation in the country’s political life, as part of Syrian unity.”
Alongside all this, the Syrians claim the agreement also contains an Israeli pledge not to interfere in Syria’s internal affairs and to recognize al-Sharaa’s government.
The Independent report said “the parties agreed on more than 95% of the conditions, and negotiations are at an advanced stage.” It added that the deal is planned to be signed in New York on Sept. 25, but the Trump administration proposes signing it on Sept. 29 in Washington — in the presence of al-Sharaa, Trump and Netanyahu. The report noted, however, that al-Sharaa is hesitant to meet Netanyahu because of the war in Gaza, despite U.S. pressure for such a meeting.