Syria demands Israeli withdrawal from demilitarized zone, in exchange for peace deal – report

Syria’s new president is reportedly interested in establishing diplomatic ties with Israel, even as hardliners push for a limited security agreement and an end to the state of war.

By David Rosenberg, World Israel News

Syria’s new regime is prepared to recognize Israel as part of a deal ending the state of war that has existed between the two countries for 77 years, according to reports by Lebanese, Israeli, and Turkish media outlets.

On Monday, the Hezbollah-aligned, Lebanon-based Al-Akhbar outlet cited multiple Syrian officials who claimed that “intense discussions” are underway within the government of Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa regarding a potential deal with Israel.

The Trump administration, which recently lifted sanctions on Syria, has pressed Damascus to join the Abraham Accords and reach a comprehensive peace deal with Israel, normalizing relations between the two countries.

President Al-Sharaa reportedly “welcomes” the idea of establishing diplomatic relations with Israel, while many within the new regime are said to be pushing for a limited agreement.

According to the report, Syrian hardliners have conveyed to the United States their misgivings over a broad deal, suggesting instead that Syria and Israel merely sign a memorandum of understanding establishing agreed-upon security procedures for the Israel-Syria frontier.

It is unclear whether such an agreement would formally terminate the state of war which has existed between the two countries since Israel’s establishment in 1948 – a condition sought by the US and reportedly accepted by Syria’s president.

The security agreement proposed by some in Al-Sharaa’s government would restore the Israel-Syria frontier to the lines set by the 1974 agreement inked after the 1973 Yom Kippur War, under which Israel ceded parts of the Golan Heights to form a demilitarized zone under Syrian civil control.

Following the ouster of Syrian President Bashar Assad last December, Israel seized the demilitarized zone, and has operated sporadically deeper in southwestern Syria, attacking pro-Iranian militias and supporting minority communities from attack by Islamic fundamentalists.

To bolster their argument for a limited deal, members of the new Syrian regime opposed to a full normalization deal with Israel pointed to Turkish fears that such a deal could make Syria a vassal of Israel and Saudi Arabia.

According to a report by Israel’s Hebrew daily Yedioth Ahronoth, under a possible deal being drafted, Israel would gradually withdraw from areas occupied since December 2024, returning them to Syria.

Syrian sources have suggested the Golan Heights could be turned into a “peace garden” for joint economic projects of Syria, Israel, and possibly also Jordan, which borders the strategic plateau.

On Saturday, the Turkish state-run Anadolu Agency published an interview with Thomas Barrack, the US envoy to Syria, who claimed that Al-Sharaa is genuinely interested in normalizing ties with Israel.

Barrack claimed that Al-Sharaa, a former Islamist who once had ties to Al Qaeda, harbors no enmity for the Jewish state.

“President Al-Sharaa has indicated that he doesn’t hate Israel,” Barrack said, “and that he wants peace on that border. I think that will also happen with Lebanon. It’s a necessity to have an agreement with Israel.”

“I know Israel wants the same thing. I think what you’ll see is the beginning of back-channel dialogue on just simpler border issues that they can align on, and eventually a de-confliction dialogue of saying, how do we get a stable border?”

On Monday, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar expressed Jerusalem’s interest in reaching peace deals with both Syria and Lebanon, but emphasized that Israel would not be willing to cede the Golan Heights.

“Israel seeks peace with neighbors like Syria and Lebanon,” Sa’ar said during a press conference with his Austrian counterpart, Beate Meini-Reisinger, while adding that Israel “will always defend its security. The Golan Heights will remain an inseparable part of Israel in any future agreement.”

Sa’ar did not indicate whether Israel would agree to withdraw from parts of the Golan ceded to Syria in 1974 and reoccupied since last December.