Daijiworld Media Network- Damascus
Damascus, Sep 17: Syria is accelerating negotiations with Israel under strong pressure from the United States, with Washington seeking a security deal that could be announced at the upcoming UN General Assembly in New York, diplomatic sources revealed.
According to nine sources briefed on the talks—including Syrian officials, intelligence insiders, and an Israeli representative—Damascus is pushing for an arrangement that would see Israel withdraw troops from recently seized territories, reinstate the 1974 demilitarized buffer zone, and halt air strikes and ground incursions into Syrian soil.
However, the discussions have deliberately left out the contentious issue of the Golan Heights, occupied by Israel since 1967. A Syrian official familiar with the negotiations said the matter was being “left for the future.”
The two nations have technically remained at war since Israel’s creation in 1948, despite several armistices. Israel abandoned the 1974 truce on December 8, when rebel forces ousted then-President Bashar al-Assad. Since then, Israeli forces have struck Syrian assets and advanced to within 20 km of Damascus.
Sources indicate that Israel is reluctant to relinquish its recent territorial gains, despite US insistence on a breakthrough. “The U.S. is pressuring Syria to accelerate a security deal – this is personal for Trump,” said an Israeli security source, suggesting that the American president is keen to project himself as the driving force behind a Middle East diplomatic success.
Still, the same source admitted, “Israel is not offering much.”
The offices of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer, who is leading Israel’s side of the talks, declined to comment.
A U.S. State Department spokesperson reiterated Washington’s support for any initiative that would bring “lasting stability and peace between Israel, Syria, and its neighbors,” but avoided confirming whether a formal announcement was planned during the UN summit.
Despite the progress, distrust continues to hang heavy over the negotiations. Israel remains wary of Syria’s Islamist-led government under President Ahmed al-Sharaa, citing his past jihadist links, and has long pushed for Syria to remain weak and decentralized.
For Washington, however, nudging Syria and Israel toward even a modest pact would be seen as an expansion of the Middle East peace framework initiated under the Abraham Accords.