Israel–Syria talks advance toward new security understanding

Shafaq News – Middle East

Negotiations between Israel and Syria are making “tangible progress” toward a new understanding that would revise the 1974 disengagement agreement between the two countries, a senior Israeli official stated on Wednesday.

The official told Al-Hadath that Tel Aviv has informed both Washington and Damascus that it “does not support any separatist movements inside Syria,” denying reports of Israeli backing for Druze spiritual leader Hikmat al-Hijri or any local groups in the southern province of Suwayda.

The talks have entered their final phase, with Washington proposing that any humanitarian corridor operate exclusively through Damascus as part of its broader vision for a new security arrangement. He stressed that the idea of a corridor linking Israel and Suwayda “is not on the table.”

The emerging framework, he said, mirrors the 1974 disengagement accord in structure but introduces limited adjustments, including joint Syrian–Israeli–US monitoring posts at sensitive points — notably around the Mount Hermon (Jabal al-Sheikh) area.

The official added that the Syrian government has pledged to the United States not to target the Druze community and to ensure continued services, salaries, and employment in Suwayda. Washington, in turn, has conveyed to Tel Aviv its desire to close the southern Syria file and finalize security arrangements with Damascus before early next year.

Under the current draft, a trilateral security committee — comprising Syria, the United States, and Israel — would oversee developments along the frontier.

Four informed sources told Reuters in September that earlier negotiations faltered at the last minute over Israeli demands to open a humanitarian corridor to Suwayda.

Over the past several months, Israel and Syria have held multiple rounds of talks in Baku, Paris, and London, under US sponsorship, aimed at reaching a comprehensive security understanding to ease tensions along their shared border.

Syrian transitional President Ahmad al-Sharaa earlier confirmed that talks with Israel remain ongoing, expressing optimism about reaching an agreement soon.

Read more: Syria's shifting stance: Is normalization with Israel on the horizon?

Since the collapse of the previous Syrian regime last December, Israel has intensified its air and ground operations inside Syrian territory, including limited incursions into parts of the south within the demilitarized zone established under the 1974 accord.