"Syria withdraws heavy weapons from south, prepares for negotiations"

Syrian military and diplomatic sources announced on Tuesday that the transitional government has begun withdrawing heavy weapons from southern Syria, all the way to the outskirts of Damascus. This move comes amid growing interest in security negotiations with Israel, scheduled to be held in the Azerbaijani capital, Baku, in the coming days, according to the France-Presse Agency.

A Syrian military official, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed that the operation began about two months ago. A diplomatic source indicated that the withdrawal of weapons included about 10 kilometers south of Damascus, noting that a Syrian-Israeli meeting was scheduled to be held in Baku on September 19.

This move comes after sectarian violence in Sweida in mid-July, which resulted in hundreds of civilian deaths, at a time when Israel launched airstrikes targeting sites and the headquarters of the Ministry of Defense in Damascus.

In a statement to a local channel, Ahmed al-Sharaa confirmed that the government is negotiating with Israel to reach a security agreement stipulating the withdrawal of the Israeli army from the territories it occupied after December 2024. Moreover, he indicated that the talks aim to restore the situation in southern Syria to what it was before the security agreement held in 1974.

On the other hand, the United States is putting pressure on Syria to accelerate talks with Israel, seeking to reach a modest security agreement before the UN General Assembly meeting in New York is held. This would allow President Donald Trump to announce tangible progress on the Syrian file, according to Reuters sources.

J.J