Syria's Sharaa seeks security deal with Israel and hails sanctions relief

Where things stand

Syria's President Ahmed al-Sharaa has placed a formal security arrangement with Israel at the centre of Damascus's diplomatic opening, telling the Russian agency TASS that Syria is working with friendly countries towards an agreement that would end the state of war in place since 1948. He coupled that with a clear limit: Syria will not cede the Golan Heights, leaving the territorial question outside whatever security understanding may emerge. No timetable, mediating parties or terms have been specified, and there is so far no Israeli response on the record in the available reporting, so the shape and seriousness of the talks remain unconfirmed. The same round of remarks tied that opening to Syria's rehabilitation in Washington. According to Al Jazeera, al-Sharaa praised Donald Trump's decision to remove Syria from the US terrorism list, a step that eases the country's international isolation and sits alongside his pursuit of a deal with Israel as part of the same repositioning. At the same time he signalled that Damascus is not simply switching patrons: speaking to Russian state media, he said the future of Russian military bases in Syria is still under discussion with Moscow, an unresolved question that will test how far the new government's Western and Israeli overtures reshape its older relationships.

Syria and Israel have had no peace treaty and have been formally in a state of war since 1948, with the Golan Heights, held by Israel, the core territorial dispute between them. Ahmed al-Sharaa now leads Syria as president from Damascus and has been seeking to end the country's diplomatic and economic isolation. Part of that isolation stemmed from US sanctions and designations, including Syria's place on the American list of state sponsors of terrorism, which President Donald Trump has moved to remove. Russia, a longstanding backer of the Syrian state, maintains military bases in the country, and their status is being negotiated between Damascus and Moscow. Al-Sharaa's outreach therefore runs on two tracks at once: a possible security understanding with Israel, and a renegotiation of Syria's ties with its established partners.