The interim President of Syria, Ahmed al-Sharaa, confirmed that talks are ongoing aimed at reaching a security agreement between Syria and Israel.
Since the overthrow of Syrian ruler Bashar al-Assad in December last year, Israel has regularly carried out airstrikes across war-torn Syria.
Israel and Syria, officially at war since 1948, previously agreed on a ceasefire in 1974, following the Yom Kippur War of 1973. That agreement established a buffer zone in the Golan Heights under UN supervision to separate Israeli and Syrian forces.
“Israel considers that with the fall of the previous regime, Syria has withdrawn from the 1974 agreement, even though Syria has consistently demonstrated its commitment to the pact,” al-Sharaa told state TV channel al-Ekhbariya.
He added: “Negotiations are currently underway on a security agreement so that Israel can return to its positions prior to December 8,” referring to the date of al-Assad’s removal. “The talks have not concluded yet.”
Last month, direct talks between Israel and Syria took place under the mediation of the United States.
The Golan Heights, occupied by Israel in 1967 and annexed in 1981 (a move not recognized internationally), remains the primary point of contention. Following al-Assad’s fall, Israel deployed additional troops to the area and intensified airstrikes across southern Syria and in the capital, Damascus, citing efforts to prevent Syrian weapons from falling into extremist hands.
Israel has also cited the protection of the Druze minority as a key concern after deadly violence erupted in Syria’s Suweida province, a stronghold of the Druze community. The Druze are a small but influential minority in Syria, Israel, and Lebanon, following a faith considered by adherents to be a branch of Islam.
