Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa has said that his country is engaged in negotiations with Israel to secure a security agreement aimed at creating a separation zone.
In a televised interview with Syrian channel Alikhbariya, he emphasised that Syria “is holding negotiations on a security agreement with Israel to return to the 1974 (Disengagement) agreement or a similar arrangement.”
The 1974 Disengagement Agreement was adopted by the UN on 31 May 1974, after the October 1973 Middle East war, when Israeli forces clashed with Egypt in Sinai and with Syria in the Golan Heights.
As battles escalated, the United States brokered talks between Israel and Syria, resulting in a deal that created a separation zone and equal areas of limited forces on both sides. The agreement also called for a United Nations observer mission to monitor compliance.
Turning to Israel’s policies, the Syrian president said that Tel Aviv “had a plan to divide Syria and drag us into a battleground with Iranians,” adding that Israel was “surprised by the (former President Bashar al-Assad) regime’s ouster.”
Al-Sharaa said: “Israel has often sought to cover up intelligence shortcomings and security failures by flexing its military muscle and exaggerating security fears.
“Israel considered the fall of the former regime as Syria’s withdrawal from the 1974 disengagement agreement, even though Damascus expressed its commitment from the very first moment,” he said.
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He added that Syria had reaffirmed adherence to the deal, communicated with the UN, and requested the return of the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force to its previous positions.
Israel has repeatedly violated Syrian sovereignty since the fall of the Assad regime through airstrikes and territorial expansion, despite Damascus showing no hostile intent toward Israel.
Since 1967, Israel has occupied most of the Golan Heights, and after Assad’s ouster, it seized the Syrian buffer zone and declared the 1974 disengagement agreement collapsed.
Al-Sharaa stressed that “Syria does not want to live in a state of anxiety or tension with any country in the world. The ball is in the court of those states seeking to stir strife and unrest inside Syria.”
The Syrian president revealed that an agreement had been reached with Russia during the “liberation battle” that toppled Assad.
“When we reached Hama in the battle, negotiations took place between us and Russia. Upon our arrival in Homs, the Russians withdrew entirely from the military scene under a deal between us,” he said.
He described Russia as an important global power and a permanent member of the UN Security Council, stressing that Syria had “inherited close ties with Moscow that must be preserved and managed calmly and wisely.”
Moscow previously supported Assad and granted him humanitarian asylum.
On unrest in Suwayda in southern Syria, al-Sharaa said the violence stemmed from a dispute between Bedouins and members of the Druze community that escalated with mistakes on all sides.
“Our duty was to stop the bloodshed, then we formed fact-finding committees. Everyone who erred, abused, or assaulted people must be held accountable,” he said.
He added that the interests of Suwayda and northeastern Syria lie with Damascus, calling the moment “an opportunity for Syria to heal its wounds and start anew.”
Suwayda has seen a ceasefire since July 19, following a week of clashes between pro-Israeli Druze groups and Bedouin tribes that left hundreds dead.
On relations with the YPG/PKK Kurds, known locally as the SDF, al-Sharaa said Arabs constitute more than 70% of the population in northeast Syria, stressing that the SDF “does not represent the entire Kurdish community, nor can it claim to speak for the whole region.”
He noted that negotiations with the SDF had been progressing but appeared to be stalling. “The agreement with the SDF was set to last until the end of the year, and we were seeking implementation by December,” he said.
Al-Sharaa underlined that “Syria does not accept partition, as division only breeds contagion.”
