Israel and Syria are in advanced talks on a deal that could end hostilities between the two countries, an Israeli official told The Times of Israel on Monday
The deal, however, would not be a full peace, as Syrian officials prefer something more limited.
The talks are focused on security issues, such as avoiding border clashes.
The Israeli official declined to say when a full peace treaty could happen, but said there was hope of expanding the Abraham Accords, which have already normalized relations between Israel and some Arab countries.
“We want to see Syria in that group,” he said.
Israel and Syria have a long history of conflict, from the 1948 War of Independence to the First Lebanon War in 1982. Recently, however, the situation has changed.
In December, Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad, backed by Iran, fled the country.
The new Islamist leaders in Damascus want to appear moderate to the West.
The talks began in April, with Syria sending signals to Israel through European countries such as Switzerland.
The United States has taken the lead in mediating.
Israel initially treated the new Syrian government with suspicion, calling its leaders “terrorists” because of past links to al-Qaeda.
The Israeli air force has bombed targets in Syria, but strikes have slowed since mid-May, when US President Donald Trump changed US policy, lifting sanctions on Syria and meeting with the new Syrian president, Ahmed al-Sharaa, in Riyadh.
The negotiations are being led by Tzachi Hanegbi, Israel’s national security adviser.
Last week, he confirmed that the two sides were in daily contact and discussing the possibility of normalizing relations.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar stressed that even with a possible peace deal, the Golan Heights, captured from Syria in 1967 and annexed by Israel in 1981, will remain part of Israel.
Sa’ar also mentioned Lebanon, another neighbor officially at war with Israel, as a possible candidate for normalization.
Meanwhile, Syrian sources told the Lebanese newspaper *Al-Akhbar* that not everyone in Sharaa’s government supports a comprehensive deal with Israel.
Some prefer a simpler pact that merely ends the conflicts, without moving towards full diplomatic ties.
There are two main reasons for this resistance: the difficulty of justifying a deal with Israel while the war in Gaza continues, facing criticism in the Arab world, and the fear that normalization would place Syria under the influence of Israel and Saudi Arabia, reducing the role of Turkey, an ally of some Syrian leaders.
Meanwhile, the Lebanese channel LBCI reported that Syria is not demanding the return of the Golan Heights.
Instead, Damascus is seeking recognition of the new government, the withdrawal of Israeli troops from areas in southern Syria occupied since January, security arrangements in the region and US support, which has not yet been detailed.
Israel, for its part, is demanding that Syrian forces stay out of the south of the country and has promised to protect the Syrian Druze community, including opening a temporary hospital to treat wounded Druze.
A Syrian official told the Israeli broadcaster Kan that the Golan Heights were not even mentioned in the negotiations, and that the focus is on the withdrawal of Israeli troops from a demilitarized zone in the south, created after the collapse of the Assad regime.
This zone, monitored by the UN, was occupied by Israel when Assad’s forces abandoned it.
The United Nations considers this a violation of the 1974 agreement between the two countries, but Israel argues that the agreement became invalid with Assad’s fall and that the occupation was necessary to avert threats.
Israeli security officials, including the heads of the military intelligence service and the Mossad, told a closed meeting that there is a chance to change the Middle East landscape by expanding peace with countries such as Syria.
In an interview with Fox News, Trump also expressed optimism, suggesting that more countries would make deals with Israel, especially after its actions against Iran.
An American rabbi, Abraham Cooper, who met with Sharaa, said that with Trump’s support, a meeting between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the Syrian president was possible.
“If Trump stays engaged and promises to help rebuild Syria, anything is possible,” Cooper said.
Published in 06/30/2025 12h20
Text adapted by AI (Grok) and translated via Google API in the English version. Images from public image libraries or credits in the caption.
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