The London-based Arabic newspaper "Asharq Al-Awsat" reported from sources in Damascus close to the Syrian government that as part of indirect negotiations with Israel, Syria is demanding a halt to Israeli strikes and incursions into Syrian territory, and is calling for a return to the agreement signed in 1974, while Israel is interested in establishing a buffer zone. The sources did not rule out the possibility of reaching an agreement through negotiations that would pave the way for a permanent agreement.