The US administration is working to bring about an announcement by Israel and Syria on agreed security arrangements “by the time of the UN General Assembly in September,” a source familiar with the matter told The Jerusalem Post.
The source added that “there is a real chance to reach certain understandings on security issues between the two countries by this date.”
Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa is scheduled to attend the United Nations General Assembly in New York on September 25. This will mark the first time in several years that a Syrian president has delivered an address at the assembly. On the same day, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to arrive in New York, where he will deliver his own speech the following day.
Following the fall of the Assad regime, the IDF entered buffer zones south of Damascus and in the Syrian Golan Heights. Both Israel and Syria are now seeking to establish agreements on the border areas to create mutual security arrangements and demilitarized zones.
From Jerusalem’s perspective, these arrangements should be based on new agreements rather than automatically reverting to the security understandings reached at the end of the Yom Kippur War. “In Israel, there is no belief that past agreements reflect the new reality after October 7,” the source explained on Monday.
US officials optimistic Israeli-Syrian deal can be reached
US Special Envoy for Syria Tom Barrack, who visited Israel on Sunday along with Morgan Ortagus, deputy US Middle East envoy, expressed optimism that the two countries could reach security understandings and move forward toward a broader agreement. Last week, Barrack met with the Syrian foreign minister and Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer, with both sides indicating that progress had been made.
Israel has also insisted that any security arrangement must include practical assurances addressing the fears of the Druze community in Syria, who have recently suffered severe violence. On Sunday, Sharaa told reporters that “advanced discussions” are underway regarding a security agreement between Syria and Israel.