Syria, Israel near security deal as talks progress, key clauses raise regional concerns

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa announced that significant progress has been made in ongoing negotiations with Israel regarding a comprehensive security agreement. However, the reported terms of the draft deal are raising questions both within Syria and across the region.

The prospective agreement includes multiple security-related clauses that reflect Israel’s strategic priorities, particularly regarding military activity and foreign influence in Syrian territory, Al Arabiya reports.

Israeli sources reported that "the expected agreement includes preventing Türkiye from rebuilding the Syrian army," a condition considered vital by Israeli defence officials. The clause is seen as a move to limit Ankara’s growing military presence and ambitions in northern Syria.

Another key component of the agreement would prohibit the deployment of strategic weapons systems within Syrian borders. This includes long-range missiles and advanced air defence platforms—measures designed, according to the report, "to maintain the freedom of movement and aerial superiority of the Israeli Air Force in the region."

The reports also indicated that the draft deal envisions the creation of a humanitarian corridor to Jabal al-Druze in Sweida province. This move comes amid growing concern over the welfare of the Druze community, which has faced humanitarian challenges and political instability. The corridor would aim to facilitate the delivery of aid while addressing local unrest.

The agreement reportedly includes the disarmament of the Syrian Golan Heights, a sensitive and symbolic issue for both nations, given the territory’s long-standing strategic and political significance. Israel captured the Golan Heights from Syria during the 1967 Six-Day War and later annexed it—a move never recognized by the international community, except the United States.

According to sources familiar with the negotiations, the agreement also carries pledges to rebuild Syria with US support and financial backing from Arab states, contingent on the limitation of Iranian influence in the country. This aspect is likely to provoke strong reactions from Tehran, which maintains a deep-rooted military and political presence in Syria.

President al-Sharaa emphasized that the framework for the agreement would be based on the 1974 disengagement line, which has served as the de facto boundary between Israeli and Syrian forces since the aftermath of the Yom Kippur War. “The agreement under discussion would be anchored in the 1974 disengagement line separating Israeli and Syrian forces,” he stated.

By Vafa Guliyeva