Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa told reporters on Sunday that he would “not hesitate” to agree to a peace agreement with Israel if doing so would serve Damascus’s interests, according to a Sky News Arabia report.
Speaking to an Arab media delegation at his palace in Damascus, al-Sharaa revealed that there had been some progress in the ongoing negotiations for a renewed security agreement with Jerusalem.
The deal currently being discussed seeks a return to the Disengagement of Forces Agreement that ended the 1973 Yom Kippur War, stated al-Sharaa, also known by his nom de guerre, Abu Mohammad al-Julani.
However, the return to the security arrangement between Israel and Syria could pave the way for further peace talks, al-Sharaa explained.
While the president told reporters that he does not view the current circumstances as favorable for concluding a comprehensive peace agreement, he said he would “not hesitate” to do so if he becomes convinced that this would benefit Syria and the broader region.
The United States brought Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani into direct talks with an Israeli delegation in Paris on Aug. 19, the Associated Press reported last week.
A senior U.S. official confirmed the talks, saying Washington “continues to support any efforts that will bring lasting stability and peace between Israel and its neighbors,” adding that the Paris meeting followed U.S. President Donald Trump’s “vision of a prosperous Middle East.”
Following the December 2024 overthrow of the Assad regime by Sunni jihadists, the Israel Defense Forces took control of portions of the Syrian side of the Golan Heights. The step sought to create a security buffer to protect Israel from hostile elements operating in the power vacuum.
Syria in July claimed a willingness to work with the United States to reimplement the 1974 deal with Israel. After a phone call with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, al-Shaibani declared his intention “to cooperate with the United States to return to the 1974 disengagement agreement.”
