Syria and Israel are close to signing a “de-escalation” agreement, under which Israel would halt its attacks while Syria would agree not to deploy any heavy machinery or equipment near the Israeli border, said US Special Envoy for Syria, Tom Barrack, on Tuesday.
Speaking to journalists on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York, the US envoy said the agreement would serve as a first step toward a security pact that the two countries have been negotiating, reports the news agency Reuters.
Syria and Israel have been in talks to reach an agreement that Damascus hopes will ensure a stop to Israeli airstrikes and the withdrawal of Israeli forces that have entered southern Syria.
US President Donald Trump had aimed to secure an agreement between the two sides that could have been announced this week, but progress has been insufficient so far, and the Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashanah, observed this week, has slowed the process, Barrack said.
Israel and Syria have been regional adversaries for decades. Despite the overthrow of former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad last December, territorial disputes and deep political mistrust between the two countries continue.
Israel has expressed hostility toward Syria’s new government led by Islamists, citing the new president Ahmed al-Sharaa’s past jihadist connections, and has lobbied Washington to keep Syria weak and decentralized.
After months of violations of the demilitarized zone, Israel abandoned the 1974 ceasefire agreement on December 8, precisely on the day Assad was ousted by the rebel offensive. The Israeli army attacked Syrian military assets and deployed forces as close as 20 kilometers from Damascus.
Since then, Israel has carried out over 1,000 airstrikes against Syria as well as more than 400 ground operations, Syrian President said last week.
