US Envoy: Dialogue between Syria, Israel kicks off

US Special Envoy to Syria Tom Barrack announced that "the dialogue between Syria and Israel has begun, and everyone is rushing to reach an agreement."

In a statement after meeting with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun at Baabda Palace, Barrack said, "We want to see a cessation of hostilities on the Syrian-Israeli border."

Recent weeks have witnessed a significant escalation in reports of direct contacts between the transitional government in Syria and Israel, which have moved from leaks to semi-official statements, especially after Israeli National Security Council Chief Tzachi Hanegbi announced his personal supervision of a direct political and security dialogue with the government.

Earlier, i24NEWS quoted Syrian sources as saying that the two sides were close to signing a peace agreement before the end of 2025. The agreement includes a gradual withdrawal from the territories occupied by Israel after its incursion into the buffer zone on December 8, 2024, including the summit of Mount Hermon, one of the most important strategic points in the Golan Heights.

Days ago, Israeli officials ruled out the possibility that the head of the interim government, Ahmed al-Sharaa, would agree to sign a peace agreement with Tel Aviv without a full withdrawal from the occupied Golan Heights, describing Damascus's demands for withdrawal as still a major obstacle to reaching a final understanding between the two sides.

The Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth also quoted senior officials as saying that the current talks are focused on reaching a security agreement, not a peace treaty, and are being discussed through regional and international mediation, with the undeclared involvement of the United States, which is monitoring the negotiations and participating through back channels.

T/S
ANHA