Axios: Damascus reviews Israeli plan for southwest security zones and no-fly area

Israel has presented Syria with a comprehensive proposal for a new security agreement, which includes a detailed map of proposed demilitarised zones stretching from Damascus southwest to the Israeli border, according to sources familiar with the matter, quoted by Axios.

The plan envisions dividing the area southwest of Damascus into three zones, with Syria permitted to maintain different levels of forces and types of weaponry depending on the zone.

The proposal also calls for expanding the buffer zone by two kilometres on the Syrian side, and designates the entire area as a no-fly zone for Syrian aircraft. In the strip closest to Israel, military forces and heavy weapons would be prohibited, though police and internal security units could remain.

The Israeli initiative is inspired by Israel’s 1979 peace treaty with Egypt, which divided the Sinai Peninsula into three zones — A, B, and C — with varying security arrangements and levels of demilitarisation based on their proximity to the Israeli border.

The current proposal for Syria represents a maximalist approach, asking for a broad demilitarised area and no-fly zone on Syrian territory while leaving Israeli positions unchanged. In exchange for these restrictions, Israel has offered a gradual withdrawal from territories it occupied in Syria over recent months, except for a strategic outpost atop Mt. Hermon, where Israeli officials insist on maintaining a permanent presence. A central element of the proposal is also maintaining an aerial corridor through Syria to Iran, potentially enabling future Israeli strikes in Iranian territory.

Syria has yet to respond to the Israeli proposal, which was submitted several weeks ago, and has reportedly been working on a counterproposal. Israeli Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer and Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani are scheduled to discuss the proposal on September 17 in London alongside U.S. envoy Tom Barrack, who has been mediating between the two countries. This will be the third trilateral meeting of its kind. Sources indicate progress in the talks, though no agreement appears imminent.

Another meeting between Syrian and Israeli officials will be held in Baku on September 18.

The security agreement being negotiated is intended to replace the 1974 disengagement agreement between Israel and Syria, which became largely irrelevant following the collapse of the Assad regime and Israel’s occupation of the buffer zone on the Syrian side of the border.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has expressed interest in arranging a meeting with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly at the end of September, though sources indicate the likelihood of this is low at present.

Netanyahu also announced at a press conference on September 16 that President Trump had invited him to the White House on September 29.

By Tamilla Hasanova