Syria border deal with 'Israel' could be days away: Sharaa

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa revealed that negotiations between his government and 'Israel' could soon result in an agreement designed to ease hostilities along their shared frontier.

Speaking in Damascus to a group of reporters and researchers, Sharaa said that “we could reach an agreement at any moment,” though he cautioned that the real test would be “whether Israel would stick to it.”

The two countries have been formal adversaries since 1948, but the dynamics shifted last year after Sharaa ousted longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad. Since taking office, Sharaa has pursued a more pragmatic approach, emphasizing reconciliation and stability after more than 13 years of civil war.

'Israel' has long cited security concerns to justify its military presence in parts of southern Syria and has carried out numerous strikes inside the country, including near the presidential compound in Damascus. The talks now underway, mediated by the United States, have been focused on creating a framework for security in southern Syria, according to officials familiar with the discussions.

Sharaa stressed that his government remains committed to regional peace.

“Syria is tired of conflict,” he said, noting that the devastation of war has left the nation’s economy in ruins and its armed forces severely weakened.

The precise terms being debated remain unclear. Ron Dermer, 'Israel’s' minister of strategic affairs and the official leading the negotiations, has not commented publicly on the matter.

One historical precedent for the current talks is the 1974 disengagement agreement, which set up a United Nations-monitored buffer zone between Syrian and 'Israeli' forces after the 1973 war. That arrangement kept the border relatively quiet for decades. Sharaa said Syria has “continued to abide by the 1974 armistice agreement despite Israel’s repeated violations of it,” and he indicated that the new negotiations are focused on similar arrangements, including a monitored buffer zone.

He also clarified that the future of Mount Hermon and the Golan Heights, territories captured by 'Israel' in 1967 and later annexed, are not under discussion in this round of talks.