Israel and Syria Reportedly Near Security Agreement Amid U.S.-Mediated Talks

by Emmitt Barry, with reporting from Worthy News Jerusalem Bureau Staff

JERUSALEM (Worthy News) – Israel and Syria may be on the verge of signing a landmark security agreement after weeks of U.S.-mediated discussions, according to reports in Hebrew and Arab media.

U.S. envoy Thomas Barrack arrived in Israel on Sunday for talks with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer, and Defense Minister Israel Katz, joined by U.S. Ambassador Mike Huckabee. The visit came as Jerusalem and Damascus appear to be moving closer to formal understandings, following backchannel negotiations in Paris and regional mediation by Gulf states.

Syria’s President Ahmed al-Sharaa later confirmed to Arab journalists that his government was in “advanced” talks with Israel on a security arrangement. He told Sky News Arabia that any deal would likely be based on the 1974 disengagement lines established after the Yom Kippur War. While he stopped short of endorsing a full peace treaty, al-Sharaa said he “will not hesitate” to sign any agreement that benefits Syria and the wider region.

Reported Terms of the Agreement

Channel 12 News reported Sunday evening that the emerging framework includes several key points:

• Demilitarization of the Syrian-controlled Golan Heights, stretching from Damascus to Sweida, to reduce the threat of future attacks on Israel.
•  Restrictions on the Syrian military, including barring Turkey from rebuilding Damascus’s armed forces.
•  Prohibition on advanced weaponry, such as strategic missiles or air defense systems, to preserve Israel’s freedom of action against regional threats, particularly Iran.
•  Humanitarian and reconstruction support for Syria, led by the U.S. and Gulf states, to avoid influence from hostile actors.

The plan would also establish a humanitarian corridor into the Jabal al-Druze region, where Syrian Druze have historic ties to Israel’s Druze community.

Regional Dimension

Barrack is expected to continue his mission in Lebanon on Monday, joined by Republican Senator Lindsey Graham. In Beirut, Barrack urged Israel to cooperate with a Lebanese plan to disarm Hezbollah by year’s end in exchange for an end to Israeli military operations in the country. The Lebanese cabinet has approved the plan’s objectives, though Hezbollah has publicly rejected disarmament.

The talks come after more than a year of hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah, which erupted after the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led massacre in southern Israel. Hezbollah’s rocket fire displaced tens of thousands of Israelis in the north, prompting months of open warfare. Israeli operations in Lebanon since September have decimated much of the group’s leadership and arsenal.

Historical Context

Israel and Syria have technically remained at war since 1948. Israel captured two-thirds of the Golan Heights in the 1967 Six-Day War and annexed the territory in 1981, a move recognized internationally only by the United States. The 1974 disengagement accord established a UN-patrolled buffer zone, which Israel reasserted control over after the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad’s regime in December.

Tensions between Jerusalem and Damascus have remained high, particularly after Israeli airstrikes on Syrian positions in recent months. The IDF has also intervened to support Druze communities in Sweida during clashes with pro-regime forces.

Despite lingering distrust of Syria’s new leadership — which includes figures with jihadist backgrounds — Israeli officials see a potential deal as a way to contain both Iranian influence and Sunni extremist groups in Syria.

Sky News Arabia’s Nadim Koteich, who attended a meeting with al-Sharaa and Arab journalists, said the Syrian president appeared serious about pursuing security arrangements. “The chances of reaching such an agreement are greater than the chances of not reaching it,” he said.

Still, al-Sharaa reportedly told journalists that he does not yet believe conditions are right for a broader peace treaty with Israel, though he left the door open for such a possibility in the future.

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