Syrian President Pushes for Israel Security Pact

In a significant diplomatic breakthrough, Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa has stated that a security agreement with Israel is “necessary” and that talks “may yield results in the coming days.” The statement, made in a press conference in Damascus, confirms that the two nations are in advanced negotiations to reach a new understanding to replace a decades-old armistice. However, al-Sharaa stressed a critical condition for any deal: that Israel must “respect Syria’s airspace and territorial integrity.”
Al-Sharaa’s comments highlight the core issue in the negotiations, which is a key obstacle to any potential agreement. Since the fall of the Assad regime in December 2024, Israel has stepped up its military operations inside Syria, including intensifying airstrikes and occupying parts of the UN-monitored buffer zone in the Golan Heights. The new Syrian leader’s demand for respect for his country’s sovereignty is a direct response to these actions. Al-Sharaa noted that a security agreement would need to be “monitored by the United Nations” to ensure that both sides adhere to the terms.
According to a report by Axios, Israel has presented a detailed and “maximalist” proposal for a new security agreement. The plan reportedly calls for a “no-fly zone” for Syrian aircraft over a wide swath of territory and for a new buffer zone to be extended two kilometers into Syrian territory. It also proposes to maintain an aerial corridor that would allow for future Israeli strikes into Iran. In exchange for these conditions, Israel has proposed a gradual withdrawal from the territories it has occupied since the fall of the Assad regime, with one crucial exception: a strategic outpost on the summit of Mount Hermon.
Al-Sharaa’s statement indicates a willingness to move forward, but also a firm stance on his country’s sovereignty. While he acknowledged that a security agreement could lead to “other agreements” in the future, he was clear that “peace and normalization are not on the table right now.” This is in contrast to the U.S.-brokered Abraham Accords, which saw several Arab nations normalize ties with Israel. The Syrian government’s position is that any deal must be based on the principles of the 1974 Disengagement Agreement, which established the original ceasefire line between the two countries.
The negotiations are being brokered by the United States, with reports suggesting that Washington is pushing for a deal before the end of the month. Al-Sharaa is scheduled to visit New York next week for the UN General Assembly, and there are reports that the Trump administration hopes to have a signing ceremony with al-Sharaa and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The Syrian leader’s willingness to engage in these talks and his upcoming visit to the U.S. mark a dramatic shift in Syria’s international standing and a potential end to decades of diplomatic isolation.