Syria has signaled its readiness to cooperate with the United States in reimplementing the 1974 disengagement agreement with Israel, a pact that established a UN-patrolled buffer zone separating the two nations’ forces, AFP reported on Friday.
This development comes as Washington continues to drive diplomatic efforts toward normalization between Damascus and Jerusalem.
Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani conveyed Damascus’s “aspiration to cooperate with the United States to return to the 1974 disengagement agreement” during a phone call with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, according to the report.
The move by Syria’s new authorities follows a period of heightened tensions after the December toppling of longtime Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad. Since then, Israel has conducted numerous strikes on military targets in Syria and deployed troops into the Golan Heights buffer zone.
The two nations have remained technically at war since 1948, with Syria not recognizing Israel. Israel liberated approximately two-thirds of the Golan Heights from Syria during the 1967 Six Day War and applied sovereignty over that area in 1981, a move recognized solely by the United States. The 1974 disengagement agreement established an 80-kilometer-long UN-patrolled buffer zone east of the area controlled by Israel.
Syria’s new Islamist authorities have confirmed that indirect talks with Israel have taken place, aimed at reducing tensions between the two nations.
The London-based Arabic newspaper Al-Sharq Al-Awsat reported this week that direct talks are currently underway between Israel and Syria, focusing on security-related issues and a gradual withdrawal of IDF forces from southern Syria.
According to the report, the discussions are being held in Jordan and include the possibility of limited security arrangements aimed at reducing tensions along Israel’s northern border. Senior Syrian officials, including the country’s defense minister, are said to be participating in the talks.
However, sources close to the Syrian regime emphasize that President Ahmed al-Sharaa is not prepared to sign a peace agreement with Israel at this time. They noted that Syria’s primary demand remains a full IDF withdrawal from territories captured following the collapse of Assad’s regime, along with a firm rejection of any proposal to expand the buffer zone in southern Syria.
On Monday, Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar stated his country’s “interest” in normalizing ties with Syria and neighboring Lebanon, though he affirmed that the Golan Heights “will remain part of the State of Israel” under any future peace agreement.
However, Syrian state media on Wednesday declared that discussions regarding a peace agreement with Israel are “premature”.
“Statements concerning signing a peace agreement with the Israeli occupation at this time are considered premature,” an unidentified official source was quoted as saying by state TV.
The report further elaborated on Syria’s preconditions for any future negotiations. “It is not possible to talk of the possibility of negotiations over a new agreement unless the occupation fully adheres [to] the 1974 disengagement agreement and withdraws from the areas it has penetrated,” the source added.
(Israel National News’ North American desk is keeping you updated until the start of Shabbat in New York. The time posted automatically on all Israel National News articles, however, is Israeli time.)