Syrian Source: Security and Military Agreements with Israel Expected Before Year-End

Damascus – On Thursday, AFP reported, quoting a source from the Syrian Foreign Ministry, that Damascus and Tel Aviv are preparing to sign “successive agreements” before the end of this year, most of which will be security and military in nature.

The source, who preferred to remain anonymous, explained that “the talks with Israel have made significant progress,” noting that the priority of the upcoming agreements will focus on security and military files.

These statements followed a five-hour meeting in London on Wednesday that brought together Israeli Minister of Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer, Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Al-Shaibani, and the U.S. envoy Tom Barrett in the third trilateral meeting of its kind among the three parties.

Meanwhile, the head of the Syrian transitional government, Ahmad Al-Shara, told reporters in Damascus that Washington “is not pressuring” his country to reach an agreement with Israel, pointing out that the ongoing security talks “may lead to results in the coming days.” He added, “If the security agreement succeeds, other agreements may follow, but peace and normalization are not on the table right now.”

Al-Shara emphasized that any potential security agreement would require respect for Syrian sovereignty and airspace, and would be subject to United Nations supervision.

These developments come amid ongoing talks between the two sides, as Damascus seeks to halt Israeli airstrikes and ensure the withdrawal of Israeli forces that penetrated southern Syria since December last year, following the overthrow of former President Bashar al-Assad.

It is worth noting that Syria and Israel remain officially at war since 1948, despite intermittent periods of calm. Israel had abandoned the 1974 disengagement agreement after its incursion into the demilitarized zone late last year.