President Ahmed Al-Sharaa announced that Syria is negotiating with Israel to establish a security agreement that aims to ensure Israel withdraws from areas it occupied following the December overthrow of Bashar al-Assad.
After Islamist-led forces toppled Assad on 8 December, Israel deployed troops to the UN-patrolled buffer zone on the Golan Heights which has separated Israeli and Syrian forces since the armistice that followed the 1973 Arab-Israeli war. In addition, Israel has conducted hundreds of airstrikes on targets in Syria and has carried out incursions deeper into southern regions. Notably, Syria’s new authorities have not responded to these attacks.
Current Negotiations
“We are now in a state of negotiations and dialogue on the issue of a security agreement,” Sharaa stated in an interview with state television channel Alekhbariah. He emphasized that Israel believes Syria has “quit” the 1974 disengagement agreement after Assad’s fall. However, Sharaa insisted that Syria has remained committed to the accord from the beginning.
“Now, negotiations are underway on a security agreement to return Israel to where it was before December 8,” he added. Despite these discussions, Israel and Syria lack diplomatic relations and have technically been at war since 1948.
Last month, Syrian state media reported that Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani met with Israeli Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer in Paris, where they discussed de-escalation and the situation in the Druze-majority Sweida province following deadly sectarian violence. Additionally, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu acknowledged that Israel is holding talks aimed at the demilitarization of southern Syria.
Secret Negotiations with Russia
In the interview, Sharaa revealed that Syrian forces engaged in secret negotiations with Russia during the offensive that ultimately toppled Assad. “When we reached Hama in the battle of liberation, there were negotiations between us and Russia,” he explained. As Syrian forces advanced to Homs, Russia “stayed away from the battle… as part of an agreement reached between us,” he noted.
Sharaa also highlighted how his forces deliberately avoided attacking Russia’s Hmeimim air base on Syria’s Mediterranean coast. This air base, along with Russia’s naval base in Tartus, represents Moscow’s only official military outposts outside the former Soviet Union. Notably, Assad fled to Russia from Hmeimim.
As negotiations progress, the potential for a security agreement between Syria and Israel could reshape the dynamics in the region. Both countries face significant challenges, but dialogue may pave the way for a more stable future.
