Less than a week after six Israeli soldiers were wounded in clashes in the village of Beit Jinn in southern Syria, President Donald Trump said in a post on Truth Social that it was important that “nothing takes place that will interfere with Syria’s evolution into a prosperous State.”
Trump wrote that the new president of Syria is “working diligently to make sure good things happen, and that both Syria and Israel will have a long and prosperous relationship together.”
It was “very important that Israel maintain a strong and true dialogue with Syria,” he added.
The president also addressed the lifting of sanctions following the fall of Bashar Assad’s regime in December 2024, writing: “One of the things that has helped them greatly was my termination of very strong and biting sanctions — I believe this was truly appreciated by Syria, its Leadership, and its People!”
He concluded that this is a “Historic opportunity, and adds to the SUCCESS, already attained, for PEACE IN THE MIDDLE EAST!”
After the remarks, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke with Trump. According to the Prime Minister’s Office, both stressed the importance and their commitment to dismantling Hamas and disarming the Gaza Strip, and discussed expanding the peace agreements. At the end of the call, Trump invited Netanyahu to a meeting at the White House in the near future.
Trump’s post was published against the backdrop of the Beit Jinn incident that took place last Friday. IDF troops entered the village in southern Syria, about 11 kilometers (7 miles) from the border, to arrest suspects belonging to Jamaa Islamiya, the Lebanese branch of the Muslim Brotherhood.
Gunfire was directed at the forces during the operation, and six soldiers were wounded, three of them seriously. The Syrian Foreign Ministry condemned the operation and called it a war crime, claiming that 13 Syrians were killed in Israeli strikes.
Trump’s comments also came in the context of the visit by Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz to the buffer zone in southern Syria about two weeks ago.
The visit was held a week after the historic White House meeting between Trump and Syrian leader Ahmed al-Sharaa, and was also attended by Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar, Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir and the head of the Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet).
Talks over a U.S.-brokered security agreement between Israel and Syria form the backdrop to the current developments. Washington had hoped to conclude the agreement and announce it at the U.N. General Assembly last September, but the negotiations stalled due to significant gaps between the sides.
Syria is demanding a return to the 1974 Disengagement of Forces Agreement that ended the 1973 Yom Kippur War and an Israeli withdrawal from areas captured after the fall of the Assad regime, particularly Mount Hermon.
Israel, for its part, is demanding the demilitarization of southwest Syria, preservation of a humanitarian corridor to the Druze community in the Sweida region and normalization steps from Damascus.
In early November, al-Sharaa visited the White House, becoming the first Syrian leader to meet with an American president in Washington since the country gained independence in 1946. During the visit, Trump announced that the freeze on sanctions on Syria would be extended for another six months. The president praised al-Sharaa and described him as a young and appealing, tough leader with a very strong background.
Originally published by Israel Hayom.
