Syria insists that progress in strategic negotiations with Israel will be impossible unless Israeli forces withdraw from the demilitarized zone south of Damascus, according to a report by Syrian state broadcaster Al-Ikhbariya.
A Syrian government source told the outlet that the position was relayed following US-brokered consultations between Syrian and Israeli delegations held in Paris on January 5–6.
“American mediation has helped move the dialogue between Syria and Israel forward,” the source said. “However, the essential condition is a clear and binding timetable for the withdrawal of Israeli forces from the demilitarized zone south of Damascus — territory they occupied in December 2024 after the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime.”
The Syrian delegation was led by Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani, while Israel was represented by its ambassador to the United States, Yechiel Leiter, who replaced former strategic affairs minister Ron Dermer in that role. The US side included Special Envoy for Syria Tom Barrack, presidential envoy Steve Witkoff, and the president’s son-in-law Jared Kushner.
Earlier, the pan-Arab newspaper Asharq Al-Awsat reported that the Trump administration is pressing Israel and Syria to sign a non-aggression pact that could pave the way for normalization after decades of hostility. Washington is reportedly urging Damascus to join the Abraham Accords, the series of agreements brokered by the United States between Israel and several Arab states in 2020–2021.
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Based on materials from TASS