Media: Israel–Syria negotiations enter final phase amid US mediation

Negotiations between Israel and Syria are “ongoing and nearing completion” after months of quiet diplomacy aimed at easing tensions in southern Syria, a regional source told Al Arabiya.

According to the source, Israel has informed both the United States and Syria that it does not support calls for secession within Syria, nor does it back any figures advocating for the partition of the country.

“Israel assured the US that it does not back Syrian Druze leader Hikmat al-Hijri or any other figure in Sweida,” the source said.

Al-Hijri, a prominent Druze spiritual leader in southern Syria, has previously voiced the idea of establishing an autonomous region for the Druze minority amid rising friction with Damascus. Tensions in Sweida province erupted months ago following deadly clashes between Druze fighters and Sunni Bedouins, which quickly escalated and drew in Syrian government troops and other armed factions.

At the time, Israel conducted strikes it claimed were in support of the Druze community.

The source denied reports that a humanitarian corridor from Israel to Sweida was under consideration, clarifying that “the corridor will originate from Damascus under the US plan.”

Earlier efforts to secure a broader security pact between Syria and Israel had reportedly stalled over Israel’s insistence on opening a direct humanitarian corridor to Sweida, according to four sources familiar with the talks.

The emerging deal, the source said, resembles the 1974 disengagement accord between the two nations, with only “minor adjustments,” including a proposed joint Israeli-Syrian-American presence at strategic points such as Mount Hermon.

The Syrian government, according to the source, has pledged to the United States that it will not harm the Druze community and will ensure that Sweida province receives adequate supplies, employment opportunities, and salary payments.

Meanwhile, Washington has informed Israel that it must resolve issues related to southern Syria and its relationship with the new Syrian government before the start of next year, the source added.

As part of the emerging framework, a joint Syrian-American-Israeli security committee is expected to be established to monitor developments along the shared border and ensure compliance with the final agreement.

Since Israel’s establishment in 1948, the two countries have remained technically at war. The 1974 disengagement agreement created a narrow UN-monitored demilitarized zone on the Golan Heights — a structure the new deal appears poised to emulate with updated security guarantees.

By Vafa Guliyeva